"Montuji!" Shehnaaz spoke softly as she clutched to his shirt.
The man stared back at her in shock.
"Aapko meri kasam, chod kar mat jana!" Shehnaaz managed to say while silently crying.
The man came nearer, lifted her chin and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Shehnaaz!" he said in his deep baritone voice.
Shehnaaz felt mesmerised by his voice. His eyes held her gaze...she was under his spell.
"Phudhe station Dadar[Next station Dadar]"
The train halted at the Dadar station and people rushed in, filling the alley to the brim and pushing the Taxi driver even closer to Shehnaaz.
Shehnaaz felt herself go dizzy by the proximity. Her legs turned to jelly when there was just an inch of space between them. Her heart was beating a crazy rhythm. The train stopped abruptly and both of them were thrown into each other again. This time his lips touched the corner of her cheek. Shehnaaz instantly felt millions of goosebumps erupt on her body. The nerve ending sizzled and her cheeks went all red and hot. Their eye contact broke as she lowered her eyes after the brief but breathtaking contact.
A few minutes later Shehnaaz felt the Taxi driver gently yank her towards himself. Shehnaaz realised that the train had stopped and they were the only ones left in the coach.
She blushed again and followed him through the crowd.
"KURLA" Shehnaaz read aloud as they reached the exit of the station.
"We didn't realise when the train crossed your station," the Taxi driver said goofily, scratching the back of his neck.
Shehnaaz looked at the adorable figure he cut. With that expression, he looked like a school boy, who had been caught cheating.
Shehnaaz just couldn't stop herself from smiling at him. She refused to let go of his hand and let herself be guided by him. In a few minutes, she found herself at the entrance of a small restaurant.
"Shree Krishna...UPI-U...DIP!" Shehnaaz tried to pronounce the name of the restaurant but failed miserably.
"Udipi,"he supplied.
"Woh kya hota hai?"Shehnaaz asked innocently.
"South Indian restaurant hai...ek jagah hai South main Udupi, wahin se naam pada," the Taxi driver explained.
"Oh...Madras?" Shehnaaz asked him.
"Nahi! Bahut bada hai South India!" he explained further.
"Dosa khaya hai kabhi?" he asked her and she nodded in a 'no'.
"Babu...ek masala dosa aur ek medu vada...sambar side main," he ordered.
"I have something for you!" Shehnaaz said in excitement and dug her bag for something. A while later she opened a small steel tiffin and offered a besan ladoo to him.
"This?" he asked her in surprise.
"I made it. Taste!" Shehnaaz smiled as she offered it to him.
He picked it up and gave her an indecipherable look.
"You didn't like it?" Shehnaaz asked softly.
"It is very tasty!" he said and she blushed crimson.
They both looked here and there in nervousness.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked her out of the blue.
"I just knew it could only be you Montuji,"she said softly and then gasped.
أنت تقرأ
TAXI No: 1212
أدب الهواةCompletely filmy story, set in Bombay,1992. Shehnaaz Kaur Bajwa spends one day in Bombay and falls in love with a handsome Taxi driver who saves her from the goons. Will they ever meet again?
