The Ruined Rainbow

CHAPTER 73

Dedicated to muskan_090

Ayesha

The lights of my compartment dimmed. There was little noise as people scrambled to their berths and called it a night. And then, apart from the little moonlight entering through the windowpane, there was complete darkness. And also, a silence accompanied only by the sound of the constant motion of the train.

There were no co-passengers of mine. Maybe hours drifted since I entered the train, but I was oblivious and unbothered about the timings, and it was my least priority at the moment. I was staring at the window, ever since I entered, occasionally noting down the bright platforms, and the small compact shops the platforms harboured whenever the train stopped.

It was almost two at night, and there was a deadly silence throughout my coach. The train had stopped at a signal, and so there were no sounds from the train either.

I slightly shifted from my seat and brought out my handbag, which was securely hidden beneath my dupatta. Hands trembling, I reached out to my mobile. Sparing a scanning glance around, I switched on my mobile phone.

The brightness pierced my eyes in the habituated darkness. As expected, I see a long, long list of calls from Sahil, Jane and Kavi Di.

Di was supposed to return tomorrow, and I was sure she'd check on that letter and inform Sahil. But in a wholly unorganised and a frenzied state of mind, I had also buried the key in one of the pots from the garden, as if hoping that Sahil would come to Andheri, spot the new change beside the pillar, and find the key first and see the letter before Di.

Though my rational mind found it completely absurd, I had heeded to my heart anyway and done the needful. If by an uncanny chance Sahil did find the letter it was for a good cause. And even if he didn't, Di would always tell him. And no one apart from Sahil would know that there was a probability of the key being buried there, so the issue on safety and security was managed as well.

Biting my lip, I went to the messages section.

Anticipatedly, there were numerous unseen, unopened messages from Sahil. Two texts from Jane and a few from Di. Without thinking, I pressed the notification, and it directed me to Sahil's messages.

Ayesha. Where are you?

Ayesha, are you stuck in traffic?

Why is it taking so long?

The trailer launch is about to begin any soon.

Where are you?

Ayesha. Call me back as soon as you read this.

Ayesha, call me ASAP.

A series of texts followed similar to these, and I thought maybe he hadn't read the letter yet. Or maybe, he had seen the letter and was too much in shock to type again. Or maybe my mind was such an expert in thinking absurdities and that 'uncanny' incident I hoped hadn't happened at all, and my silver key was lying there, buried and unnoticed.

I placed my mobile on the stand and leaned back, staring blankly at the space.

Before leaving Mumbai, I was struggling to decide when I'll leave Mumbai, and now that I left Mumbai, I had no clue where to proceed after Aurangabad or for how many days would I stay there.
Yes, I had faint ideas of where I should travel before I die, but they sounded good in my mind. Practically now, they seemed nearly impossible. I was feeling strangely so empty yet so heavy. Funny how that feels.