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amusing than religious. She giggled when she saw him hold the flowing rasam in the banana leaf. Managing the dhoti, holding the banana leaf, gesturing that he had enough rice, he seemed to juggle more than eat. By afternoon, when lunch was over, she went back to the house and took her bags. Thatha and Kasthuri kept whispering something and after sometime he came and said let me drop you back to the bus terminus. She protested that it was bright and very safe for her to go. They shouldn’t really bother. But duo wouldn’t listen. After one final good bye, she exchanged her phone number with Thatha. Kasthuri was back in shorts and relieved. Thatha must have whispered about changing to jeans, but he said it was too hot.

  They now walked slowly past the river, smiling when they crossed the temple and he said it was really nice knowing you. Same here she said. Have you left your numbers with Thatha. Yes, she had. Would she send mails to him. About the mischievous Krishna or Ravi Varma she smiled. He looked far away and said no, may be about you. Really, its nice knowing you.

  In the bus terminus, they waited for a long time when he talked about his itinerary, asked her about her work, asked her directions to her work place. Far away she saw the bus waiting, the driver and conductor conversing and sipping coffee, random bits from the biscuits crumbling down. She said, matter of time and we would travel different directions. Was she waiting to leave him, he asked. Was he? He didn’t answer neither did she.

  She sat in the bus, when the driver and conductor finished their coffee rendezvous and were howling the destination. He stood near the window, looking at her as though he would never see her again. Then in whiff of a moment, he hopped into the bus, sat next to her and said he would come till Tirunelveli with her. This time she was silent.

  As the bus floated away from the bus terminus, he took her hands and twined it with his and said even you have long fingers. You just don’t realize that your eyes are captivating. I wouldn’t say I haven’t said these words to others, but somehow you have made my day special. If you are going to ask me whether we would meet again. I have no answers. But, can we be in touch. Before he could say more, she leaned on him and looked at the sun peeping from the clouds. Let this moment linger, forever in your memory. Lets not discuss tomorrow.

  The bus did not jolt, neither there was a breakdown. The bus just slowly descended into the maddening crowd of the town. The twined fingers may be didn’t feel the rush, may be they never exchanged contacts.

  But when she left the town and they moved in different directions, she had a piece of him in her.