June 15, 1994. It was the day when I joined this new school,
ERHSS, Trichy. I was standing in the bus stop around 7:30AM, without being aware that the moment of eternity is about to come in my life. The morning was brighter and everything looked charmingly active. One can die a thousand times and be born again, for, that moment is the most precious and pleasantly memorable one - The moment you feel you are really alive, your heart beats music, your body gets lighter and takes off slowly from the ground and suddenly you feel your senses are crushed. First Crush, First Love - It is a mixed feeling of pain and joy. It is more than a memory - a Souvenir. It is only that feeling, makes life worth the living.
Everything around me was freezed by her presence and the silence in the bus stop. Her name is .... Let this remain a sweet secret till the end. It starts with the letter 'S' and ends with 'T'. There were no Monday blues even when my socks were lost and homework not completed, because, i would be seeing her. She has got big, round, powerful eyes and the sweetest voice in the city. Sometimes, if I come late and miss her, the same place would look completely dry, like an ocean becoming an Island. The charmness of the present would lose its dimension and with time passing by, everything in me would fade into memories. She became my comfort zone during the long journies to School.
Why did I like her? She was authentic and never changed her identity. She operates on one key - Service to others. More importantly, she never crashed with anyone ;). She was more disciplined, regular and religious. Every day she goes to
Srirangam Temple in the morning at 5.30AM and you can bet she will come to the bus stop between 7:30AM and 7:40AM. She listens to music a lot, mostly the local FM Channels. I liked her very much from the very beginning. My day would not be complete without seeing her in the evening. She leaves between 4:30 PM and 4:35PM. I would run out of the school and walk slowly towards bus stop, so that I would not miss my chance for the day.
I admit, I had literally run after her and fallen for her during school days. She never knew, I loved her madly and deeply. May be, she will not . 'I Love you' - I believed can be said a billion times but to the same person. I kept quiet and my emotions suppressed. Just like that, six years passed in a God damn hurry. After joining college, it was hard to see her. I would her once in a while, only that, I would not have much to talk. I would just smile and walk away. By then, she had changed a lot too. When she hums, it drives everyone on the road to the height of craziness. Even now, when she comes, I will stop for a while and see her like a temple cart decorated with colorful lights and fresh evening flowers. From children to grannies, everybody like her. I should say, she remains yet another crown to our place.
After college, I moved to Chennai where I fell in love with every attractive women I saw. And, everytime I suffocated in love, the pain was more than agony. As rightly said by Paulo 'Beyond suffering, Pain is pleasure'. I only can say, my first love is different from its successors. It is pure and innocent. It still shines bright before my eyes, comes to my heart like a gentle breeze and fills my soul like a wishful dream. Though my wife is envious about her, she likes her too for two reasons. May be because she is still in Trichy... may be because she is just a city bus - SAT - Route 9 :)
