Short Story of True Life Incident – The Day That Changed Me
True Short Story – The Day That Changed Me
Photo credit: lisasolonynko from morguefile.com
The year was 2001. It was a warm day in Trivandrum and I had finally managed to wrap up the day after a discussion with the clients. We had managed to win the court case filed against my clients for money laundering. I remember that day very clearly as I had to attend court proceedings and meetings and time was flying by. My house was in Ernakulam and I had to literally run to the bus stand after refusing to travel with my clients as I had alternate plans.
My girl friend stayed in Trivandrum and it was long since I spent time with her. By the time we finished dinner it was already 9 pm. I bid her adieu after dropping her to the hostel where stayed and took the same auto thereafter to the KSRTC bus stand. I was so happy and all indulged in my own world. How good I was in the trial proceedings, I thought to myself.
Then started the chain of events that changed my life. I used to be a frequent traveller on this route and knew that the last bus to Ernakulam on that calendar day, was only at 11 pm and I could not afford to miss that as it would mean having to wait till 1.30 am for the next bus. I remember at around 10.45 pm, it was drizzling slightly and as I waited with a cigarette in my hand an old lady came close to me and said,
‘Son, can you please take care of my bag? I will use the rest room and come back’
I was surprised and taken aback and at the request. Usually the one who didnt pay too much heed to what people said, I retorted ‘yeah sure’ and then I looked at my watch, and I saw the bus approaching. It was not too full. KL 15 M 2458. The number somehow registered in my mind. The bus came and stood at the platform for a few minutes. I forgot what the lady had said and ran towards the bus along with a few others who were also waiting patiently at the platform.
‘Oh, god! the lady’s bag’
…I thought to myself and ran to where she had kept her bag. I waited and waited and at around 11 pm the driver came and said. ‘Ernakulam Ernakulam!!!’
…I wanted to run for my bus, but somehow there was this voice which kept telling me that wait…I pleaded to the driver to wait for a few minutes explaining that there was a bag that I was guarding, He laughed…with his voice thundering despite the engine thundering on in the bus… I was now irritated with the lady and there was no sign of her.
‘Potte right’, which meant ‘Lets go’ the conductor thundered and hit the bell and the bus was on its way. No sooner had it left the gate, than the lady emerged out of nowhere and I suddenly realised that she had come from the other side and not from where the rest room was. It was more like rubbing salt into the wounds. I had to wait for another 2 hours now. There was no choice, still I screamed at her and said,
‘How could you do this?’
She just had a wry smile on her face and I remember that I smoked three more cigarettes by the time the next bus came by. Intermittently I would look at the lady who seemed to be from a well to do family. I also kept wondering, how and old lady, she seemed to be around 70 odd years to me of age, who travel alone at night.
By the time the bus came, KL 15 F 1919 I sat in a vacant corner and slept off. I remember that I woke up around 5 am to a loud commotion and saw people running around and helter skelter on a roadside. More or less shaking off my sleep I saw that my bus had stopped somewhere in Aleppey. There was a raging inferno in front of me and there was a fire engine parked that was trying hard to douse the fire.
I kept asking people who were running, still hesitant to get down from the bus. The driver of the bus and the conductor were all the accident site and I saw that it was a KSRTC bus. Still wiping my eyes I got down from the bus and walked towards the other bus. I asked the conductor and he said the bus had caught fire, not sure how. He feared that all in the bus had died. I was feeling sad for the loss, however wanted to go back and still catch a wink when i saw the half burnt number plate.
.KL 15 M 2458…
I was shocked, what was this. My mind became blank. Speechless and silent, I didn’t know how to react. Thank god for the fact that I didnt die, or ask him why the others had. I should have travelled in this bus and met my fateful end. What was I doing alive? I trudged back towards the bus and fell flat on the road when i saw the lady standing there with her bag near the bus. Tears rolled down my eyes… what was happening. I then again looked back at the fire and turned back to thank her. She was gone!
I ran towards the conductor and asked her ‘Where is she..that old lady?’
The conductor looked at me and said,’ which lady are you talking about?’
I told him that I wanted to know about the old lady who had also travelled in the bus. He told me, there was no lady in the bus. I kept fuming and screaming and telling him I wanted to thank her. I then remember passing out…and waking up at a nearby nursing home the next day.
The year 2003. I still travel from Trivandrum to Kochi and still work. Things have changed however to the fact that I thank god for the fact that I am alive. I have not heard of that woman. I do remember that all passengers who travelled that fateful night on KL 15 M 2458 were charred to death. Had it not been for the woman, who nobody else saw but me, I would have travelled too. Now I earn well, but spend a lot of it on the destitute who roam the street. Knowing really well that I can also be clad in sanyasi robes and keep thanking god for having saved me, I feel that thanking god can also be done by helping his subjects and that is what I do.
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