When I first got to Bangalore, I had to stand in line at the Metro Station. The girl behind me was in a total hurry and had more bags more than she could carry. She couldn't find the small kiosk that took in money to buy the ticket. Back then, cards weren’t introduced.

"Excuse me", I heard her voice from the back.

"Yes?" I replied.
"Can you get me a ticket to Indiranagar, if you don’t mind? I’ll return the money on the way" She requested earnestly.
"The Queue's very long. Keep searching until the end of the line. If you don’t find it, I’ll buy it for you." I said.
"Agrhh, you’re mean. I don’t have any other options too." saying this, she agreed with a grin on her face and resumed searching. Apparently, both of us were headed towards the same departure station. I told her to stop searching and to take a deep breath. We got to know each other as we had some time while shifting to the purple lane.

Weeks passed by. She was four years elder than me, she has crossed my age and had been in my place. Thus, she knew my every move and we got along very well. She never used to get mad at me even if I'd do anything stupid. The fact that there was so much to learn from her, was an adventure to me, owing to the abundant life experiences she had had in the past.

Visiting malls, movie theaters, restaurants or pubs wasn't our thing.

We preferred art galleries and museums every time. The days we were out, she used to treat and take care of me like a baby. For instance, after my class hours, she used to come by on her two-wheeler, travelling for about an hour to pick me up. Subsequently, when she arrived, I wasn't allowed to ride because she told I'd be tired after attending classes, regardless of traffic. Have you ever observed the environment at home when a baby is born? They keep everything hygienic. You're not allowed to touch the baby without washing your hands and you have to try to prevent your breath-flow getting directly inhaled by the baby.

I felt like a baby as this girl was elder than me and coddled me.

The way mature women carry themselves shows that they know who they are. It equates to stability and shows that they have already figured out who they are. This obviously isn't a given all the time but happens a lot more often, than it does for younger women. You'd know this is the kind of person, who's going to tell you exactly what they want and they're more precise about themselves than my peers or younger generation. It has a snowball effect all the way around.

You can be in a relationship for two years and feel nothing or be in a relationship for two months and feel everything. Her parents started searching for a groom for her. I stepped back from that day and was not in contact with her. It has been almost a year. A Few weeks ago, she invited me to her wedding. I wasn’t sure whether I should attend, but she was expecting me to be there.

She had asked to borrow my 'Shiva Trilogy' novels before the groom hunting had started.

I wasn't sure if she still remembered and showed up at her wedding, though I felt numb. I couldn't sit there for long. So, I went on the stage, wished them and gave the same as present. I never said that my life would turn out to be filmy. This is much relatable to 'George David', 'Malar' and 'Premam'. Reading or watching something, knowing that the character in the story is based on you is flattering and disturbing at the same time. Everything's going to fade off but this certainly was a slow one.

I'll always remember that it hurt, looking at her hurt.

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