Aye! Aye! Captain!

 (Anannya writing her diary)

4 March 2014

It was 4.30 in the morning, I checked my ticket for the last time before locking my apartment door. I couldn’t find any ride to railway station. I took my ticket from my bag and checked the departure time. It showed 5.10. I convinced myself to ask for lift.

In that foggy road, I heard a bike roaring. From the roar, I founded that it was a HIMALAYAN from Royal Enfield, which was coming towards me. Without a second thought, I hand signaled. The bike stopped right next to me.

“Off to?” the man inside the helmet asked.

“Railway station” I murmured. He nodded. The bike was fully packed and it looked like he was going for long road trip. I hardly managed to sit because of those bags. He dropped me in the station and then he went. I was already behind the clock, so I ran in. There was no train on the platform. I thought it doesn’t arrived yet, but the speaker announced that the train Kolkata has been departed early.

But I had a plan B, Trissur to Bangalore and Bangalore to Kolkata by bus. And I already reserved a seat in them. The only thing that worried me was how I’m going to Trissur. I came out from the station and walked to the bus stand. The man who dropped me in the station walked towards me from a little tea stall, just cross the road.

“Missed your ride miss” he said.

I remained silent. He gave his for a shake by saying, “I’m Avilash. You can call me Avi”. I took seconds but I gave him mine by saying, “Anannya and you call me Anannya”. He laughed.

“Need a ride Anannya!” he asked.

I nodded. This time, he made me some place in his bike by rearranging some of his bags. And he gave me a helmet to wear. When he turned on key and started the bike, it roared like a lion. Actually better than a lion. It took an hour to reach Trissur bus stand. When we went in, the bus went out. Avi raised the throttle to catch the bus and he did. He made the bus to stop by stopping his bike in front of the running bus. After getting in the bus I texted my mom, “I’m on my way love”.

I took my headphones from my bag, which is right above my head and put it on. It really relaxed me and drained the stress. Slowly I went to sleep. My sleep was interrupted when the bus stop. When I opened my eyes, I was in Bangalore.

I did some purchase in Bangalore for my family and friends. I really wanted to continue my interrupted sleep on my way to Kolkata. Finally I got my sleep, when I aboard.

God gave me no luck, again my sleep was interrupted. Driver announced that as engine failure and he added that I would take many hours. And he convinced us by saying that he would arrange a better alternative. Some of us got in the upcoming and some of us stayed. We got no bus to our destinations.

A few bikers stopped by seeing the bus stopped in the middle way. Someone I knew, who was in that gang. By seeing me standing, Avi to came me. He was laughing by seeing me.

“What?” I asked.

“People bonded by destiny will always finds each other”, he continued laughing.

“Need a ride!” he asked.

I nodded.

“Off to?”

“Off to Kolkata”

He was surprised. And said that he was going to Meghalaya. And he added that he was going through Kolkata. And he even offered a road trip to Kolkata in my favorite bike. I just accepted it without having a second thought. And I really regretting for my decision now.

I was really happy to hear the bike roar. This time I removed the bag which I placed in between me and him every time. He was funny and always kept me smiling with his little jokes. Suddenly he took a road which separated us from the national highway. It was dark. I don’t know where he was taking me.

He stopped in the middle of nowhere. Everything I saw was an old home and the emptiness of the night. Avi nocked the door and an old man came out. Avi said something to the old man and before going inside he saw me. My legs were started to dance in the fear. So many thoughts came across my mind. Some goods but mostly bad. I searched for the pepper spray in my bag and I founded it. When Avi returned to me, he started laughing by seeing me holding the pepper spray so tightly. Suddenly the old man switched the lights on.

I was standing in front of a cute little hotel and the light illuminated the sign board which reads, “Happy Family, feel like home”. The old man came with his lovely wife and they invited us. When I was sitting, Avi went wash his face. For the first time I saw his face, he was glooming. I started falling for him and I couldn’t avoid myself from doing that.

His blue eyes with a dark eyebrows made him like prince. I forgot about my surroundings. Avi brought me to reality by calling my name. When I saw my plate, it had two roties with a cute little butter melting on it. After finishing the dinner, they didn’t asked for money. Instead of asking they hugged and kissed him. He said something to them, they invited me inside. After placing my bags inside, he went out. He stopped him and asked where he was going. He said he was going to his tent.

They were really sweet and cute lovely couples. While having a conversation, I asked them about Avi. They said,

“One day, in the middle of the storm a boy nocked their door for the shelter. And they offered him what he needed. When the sun came up, the storm leaved a huge impact on their house. The boy for who they gave shelter, rebuilt it for them. The boy was like a son to them. And the boy was Avi, Avilash.”

Avi woke me up and informed me that it’s time to leave. Avi thanked them and they blessed us with their love. While inserting the key, Avi gave me two choice. A way through the dessert of sand called national highway and a through the heaven like village road.

I knew that the longer I stay with him, the stronger I fall for him. Still I took option B. he started the bike by saying, “Aye! Aye! Captain”.

Though he drove it, I decided where to stop and where not to. He just followed what I said and it’s good to be a captain.

In a few hours, we’re travelling through green fields.

The rivulets accompanied us along with the cranes and king fishers. Sometimes we drove in the middle of green field and sometimes we drove over the dikes. Beautiful little drizzles filled the sweetness of the soil in air. Even the scarecrow looked beautiful when I was with him.

When the sun started to goes down, he stopped in front of hotel. We went in to book rooms. But he asked a room for one person and for one night.

“Avi?” I called.

“Hmm…”

“Why for one, what about you” and he said that he was going to camp. I requested him to take me with him, but he refused. I used my powerful weapon to convince him. I made a sad face. And I got what I deserved for my cute sad face. He took to the camping place. And we made our camp. I couldn’t find where we were in the dark. Our camp faced each other with having a campfire in between us. Avi took something from his bag and cooked it. I don’t know what it was but it did really tasted good. After finishing a so called dinner, we went to our tent.

Avi slept early. He was cute while sleeping, I even forgot sleeping while seeing him right in front of him. When I woke up, I was in the shore of beautiful lake. The lake was so pure and so clear. Indeed it was the right place for a camp. My heart went to the lake, I wanted a nap. I leaved my cloths in the shore and went in. when I Avi came to the waters, I was literally naked inside the water but I gladly invited him over. He gave me what I needed, privacy and went back to tent. He gave me a towel and he made a room for me to change clothes by using some clothes. After that, he served me some food. He was really cook and the truth is he was better than me.

We already completed the three quarters of our journey. I don’t know why, I doesn’t wanted to end this beautiful journey.

After our breakfast, we were back on our journey. I didn’t wanted to waste a second. I did everything to remember that journey.

Every time when I sees the sign board “Welcome to Kolkata”, I feel relaxed. But time everything has changed. I found tears rolling down my eyes like a rolling stone.

When he dropped me home, I just hugged him and went in without saying a proper good bye.

The next few days whenever I heard the bike roar, I ran and searched for him. I was confused and I don’t know what I’m doing, so I ran to Vinai. Though he loves me, he requested me to confess everything to Avi.

It was the night before my engagement with vinai, I texted Avi to meet me in the central park. I went to central park in the night without knowing that he would come or not. But Avi came. I had many things to confess with him. But when I saw his face in the moonlit night, I forgot everything which I had in my mind.

With a struggles while speaking, I said every single thing which I had in my mind. He didn’t spell a word while and after I spoke.

“Avi?” I called.

“Anannya!”

“I need you to make a promise for me”

“Ann, I’m not good at keeping promises”

“It’s ok, but you must have to keep this one”, “If there will be an another life, say you will be mine”

“Aye! Aye! Captain” he promised.

       When coming back to Aluva, I missed everything, being with him, riding in the bike, literally everything. If I right, he will be in Meghalaya and performing in that music festival. I don’t know why said those thing to Avi.

But surely I knew one thing, I had a promise to keep, a promise of love which I made to Vinai before Avi. Likely Avi has a promise to keep, a promise of love in another life which he made to me.

☺