A Hope of Love Stays Afloat

He may not be the archetypal guy that every girl dreams of in their lives, but he had a uniqueness about him that made him endearing.

She was the girl, on first sight anyone would fall for. She had that glint in her eye, the beguiling charm that would get any guy curious to know her.

Emilio was a regular commuter on the 9.15 am Volvo from the bus terminus at Margao to Panjim. A wiry, bespectacled lad, more often than not he took to his favourite window seat. The hour long journey usually would elapse with him lost in his thoughts staring outside the window or plugged into music.

But the other week, with the weather outside dreary and pouring its torrents, and having left his cell ear-plugs behind, he felt bored stiff and quite restless looking around him until he saw her.

She boarded the packed bus at the Pirni bus-stop, Nagoa and tried to make her way forward as urged by the conductor ‘mache fuddem voch bai’. Somehow she managed to hold on to a few heavy tomes in one hand, with her umbrella tucked under the arm and with the free hand holding on to a seat handle-bar.  

That was when he saw her. She stood facing him. Her cute and innocent face looked noticeably troubled. Quickly realizing her predicament of spiteful men standing either side of her, the gentlemanly guy offered his seat to her.

“Young lady, you may have my seat,” he said

“No it is okay,” she manages a sweet smile and replies.

But I insist!! And he gets up and with a wave of his left hand motions her to take his seat.

Gracious at his thoughtful gesture and giving him a broadened smile, she brushes past him as they swap places.

He feels a sensation run through him – the touch, and the scent of a woman. Wow, he thought and sheepishly grinned.

The elderly lady, who was seated beside him until then, was observing minutely the chain of events, and catching his reaction, winked at him.

“O my, he thought. Not a granny for heaven sakes.” He did not know she had seen his reaction and thought she was flirting with him.

He overhears the grey-haired, wizened lady whisper into the girl’s ear. “Isn’t he such a sweetheart?”

“I guess,” she mumbles back and coyly smiles to herself and then looks up at him and they exchange awkward glances.

The bus finally reaches Panjim and the passengers begin to alight from the bus, but his gaze stays transfixed on hers. Was that mutual love on first sight?

In minutes, the bus is empty but for them, and the conductor checking into the accounts of his ticket collection. A few moments’ passes by and the petite lass lowers her pretty eyelashes, a tad embarrassed, with her cheeks flushing a pinkish hue, as she quietly makes a move out from the bus.

Emilio follows her out and blurts, “May I know your name? “ Brushing aside her curls, and turning her head over her shoulder momentarily, she replies shyly, “may be another time.”

He stood rooted to the spot watching her vanish into the morning bustle of students and professionals, scuttling to their destination in the receded rains which still held the premonition of more showers with overcast skies.

He still could not let the thought of her escape his mind while he took the City bus to work. Through the day in office, try as he could, he was unable to let the distraction of day-dreaming about her go. And this had a negative impact on his creative thought process at work. Citing a sudden stomach upset as an excuse, he decided to leave for home at noon.

The weekend went by, and the Monday morning blues greeted him. As usual, he boarded his regular bus and took his customary seat leaning against the window, wondering if he would ever meet the charming girl again. Tiredness of a late night party the previous night and a mild hangover took its toll and his drooping eyes closed. From seeing her in his reveries, he now found her enter his sub consciousness too. He felt her perfume intoxicate his nostrils and loved the feeling. Suddenly he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. Was he actually dreaming? He pinched himself, opening his bleary eyes to an unexpected shock and a pleasant surprise. Emilio could not believe what or rather, who he was seeing. It was her. The same girl he offered his seat to in the bus the other day. She sat down on the empty seat beside him and flashed him her most glistening smile.

Emilio was now fully-awake and sat up nodding at her presence next to him and uttered, “Hello” with a knowing look.

She extended her right hand in greeting and replied, “Hi, I am Amanda, it was really nice of you the other 

day ….”

Feeling the delicate, warm handshake gave Emilio a strange, tingling sensation. He simply said, “Pleasure to have met you ….” Erm, he quickly realized his mistake and felt like a geek. Correcting his reply, he said, “It was what was expected from a man.” “By the way, I am Emilio, he added as an afterthought.”

Taking no notice what he may have earlier said or how he may have felt, but visibly impressed to what he had just said, Amanda went further.  “The other day when we met, I was in a tearing hurry to attend to my class, besides, the impending rains ….”

This got the rather tongue-heavy Emilio talking. “Yes, I felt awkward when you made an abrupt dash out of the bus without saying a bye.”

Now, she felt apologetic. “I really did not mean to …. I am very sorry but ….”

Quickly he replied, “It is okay, I understand”. “By the way, I work as a journalist with a leading daily in Panjim, Emilio said, and took out his wallet from his back-pocket and fed out a visiting card from it and gave it to her.  

“Well, that is awesome. I am always in awe in what you guys do. Your curiosity, nose for news always has me in admiration. It must be quite the challenging profession, ain’t it not?” she raises an eyebrow and asks.  

Pleased by the respect she had to his ilk, Emilio replied, “Certainly is.” “What about you? What do you profess as?”

“Oh yes, I am a lecturer in the Arts Faculty at Dhempes, Miramar.”

“Right, that was what you had earlier said. You teach.” He now took notice of the few volumes peeping out of her shoulder bag which were of English Literature.

“You teach English at the college level isn’t it?”

 A surprised Amanda asks, “How did you guess?”

“Well, I just happened to notice Shakespeare, Milton ….looking out from your bag,” he stated.

“Ahh, right, the Smart Alec that you are,”  she gives him a smile.  

Emilio now was really talking. “Well, you know, I had taken English at the graduation level in my time from Chowgules.”

“Really?? It is good to know,” she replied.

Clearly, the literary-inclined minds were now getting into an engaging conversation.

But just then, the bus reached Panjim. And a loud female voice that said, “Pavle ami Ponje,” made them realize it was time to part ways once again.

“Nice knowing you,” Amanda said giving him a winning smile and made her move out of the bus and into the teeming crowd outside.

“Right, do keep in touch, he called out after her.”

She simply waved a hand and disappeared from view.

Days passed into weeks and weeks into a month. He now grew restless; he was just missing her so much. Should he visit her college …where she taught and meet her? But would that not be lame? What would be his excuse for going there? He did not know anyone else, studying there or otherwise, apart from her.

His heart was so lost in hers that he went to the extent of trying to locate  her on facebook, orkut, google … No results …His only leads were her first name, where she taught, and possibly where she lived, Nagoa. All of which were of no help on the search engines.

On a Friday, Six months later … He gets a call. It is from an unknown cell number.  It is her voice.

She: Hi, is it Emilio? It is Amanda here.   

He: Yes, Amanda. How are you? Been a while, you know, since we last met

She: Yes, I do not live any longer in Nagoa. Regular long distance traveling was getting to be difficult and tiring. I have put up along with a couple of my friends at a rental flat in Miramar since the last many months. It is now very convenient for me. I only travel home for the weekend. And how have you been?

He: All is well my end, the usual.

She: Good to know. Sorry, had been busy re-locating and in all that hurry, misplaced your visiting card. It is unlike me to …She stops short, then adds, I did not even bother to visit your office.

He: Hey, that is okay. No need to feel bad. To tell you frankly, I was thinking of visiting your college too, but then thought otherwise. It may have been lame.

She: No, not at all. In fact, I would have been glad to have met you again, much sooner. I even told my staff friends about you. How chivalry still exists in this world. How about we meet at seven this evening at a nice place somewhere?

He: Well, that would be wonderful. How does CCD, Miramar sound to you?

She: That’s an idea!! May be, we could head out to the beach later.

He: (taking a flirtatious tone) I can already imagine the waves lapping at our feet as we walk by the shore-line with the gentle breeze wafting your long curls against mine.

She: (on cue) I am game for the teaser (and bursts out laughing)

He: That is a date then, at seven, this evening.

She: Done. Seeya soon.

He: Ciao.