Chapter 13: Unexpected encounter on the train

After this escapade they reached their destination fifteen minutes earlier than the scheduled departure time of the train. Mr. Brahma paid the cab driver his fare and then the family went to the platform to board the train. Since Mr. Brahma was still recovering; he could not take any of the luggage and could only walk a bit slowly with steady pace so the luggage was carried by Bharat.

Even though his parents offered to hire a coolie because Bharat had to carry two trolleys and two hefty bags, making a total of four bags on his shoulders, he refused to accept the coolie because he felt like it was feathers. Bharat assisted his parents in boarding the train and setting up their luggage, even though he did not feel exhausted. He wondered, though, exactly what had happened to him because the last time he had carried those bags, he had only two trolleys and a bag since the rest of them were carried on by his dad and he still felt a lot of strain because they were so heavy. Now, however, they were as light as a feather.

Mr. Brahma knew that his family was very upset about leaving this town and in the view of the fact that Mr. Brahma was still not fully recovered hence he gave Bharat some money to buy some snacks, drinks and comics instead of going himself to uplift the mood for Bharat and Arundhati since lunch and dinner could be ordered on the train itself. Snacks and drinks were enjoyed by the family together however the comics were specifically for Bharat since in the past whenever they went out of station on a train journey whether it is a trip to his relatives or a vacation Mr. Brahma always used to buy him some comics since it was his passion.

It was almost time for the train departure timetable, so Bharat walked to his parents after purchasing everything extra and sat next to them. At that point of time Bharat could hear a familiar voice when he looked towards the source he could see Pallavi Boarding on the train with Dennis.

Pallavi and Dennis did not notice him and went to a different coach on the train however due to their presence Bharat had a stinging feeling in his heart since Pallavi was not only his ex-girlfriend but also one of his closest friends since his childhood and was one of the members of his group of childhood friends which consisted of Abhimanyu, Aarav, Karthik and himself among which Pallavi was also one of the members that was the reason he thought that out of so many people at least Pallavi will never betray him or leave him and he never imagined that she could go with a person like Dennis.

Dennis was very rich and had vast connections in Rajgarh Town due to his father being the mayor of the town. Because of being rich he had a lot of friends and had been into various relationships with different girls and once he used to get his fill with the girls he used to discard them and move onto the next relationship. He never used to give any respect to anyone even if the person is an elder to him and for the people who had little money or were very poor were like insects and worms for him. He used to see them with a lot of disdain.

Bharat sighed in his heart as he thought about his past days with Pallavi. In the past, he and Pallavi used to go to the nearby park from their colony in Rajgarh town to spend some time together. As those were the days of bliss. At that point of time Pallavi seems to be of a different personality since she used to love him and they also had their group of friends accompany them many times. Now the times have changed and Pallavi was his ex-girlfriend. Still she was his childhood friend so he did not hold any ill will against her and wished a happy and successful future ahead. He did not think about her more as after a long time they were going out of station and had high hopes to lead a good life when they moved to the Rajgarh Metro city.

There was a whistleblower sharp at 9.00 am which was an indication that the train was about to depart so that no more passengers would try to board the train now to avoid any accidents. With that the train started moving ahead on its journey for which the final destination was the Rajgarh Metro city.

It takes around 11 hours' time to reach Rajgarh Metro City station from Rajgarh Town station so they should reach by 8.00 pm in the evening.

As soon as the train departed they prayed to make their journey successful and to avoid any misfortune.

Following that, they took their seats and enjoyed the visually calming view of the countryside's beautiful flora and animals as well as the city's surroundings.

Sometime later when Bharat was bored he went to his upper berth and turned on the neon lights to read his comics which were his favorite thing to do whenever he used to be on the train since childhood.

While the train journey was on its way they had their afternoon meal as they had already ordered from the pantry which consists of White rice, chicken curry, Dal that is the Lentil and French fries with curd in the end of it which the three enjoyed a lot.

After lunch while coming from the washroom area Bharat had a confrontation with Pallavi as she was also there on the train. Bharat had already known that she was there, however Pallavi was surprised to see him as she did not expect him there.

Pallavi exclaimed: "Bharat!! Why are you here?"

Bharat said: "Hi Pallavi I am just traveling to my uncle's place in Rajgarh Metro City with my mom and dad as you already know of our situation and also since I cannot get admitted in college in Rajgarh Town so I had to go there."

Pallavi said: "Bharat even I am going to Rajgarh Metro City since Dennis is taking me there since through his connections I can study in one of the prestigious colleges there are you trying to follow me there. Bharat I have known you since we were kids so I can understand that you are finding it hard to move on however I would suggest that you forget me now and move on in life. Since I am Dennis's woman now, if he comes to know about you then he may harm you and you should know that his dad is a Mayor in Rajgarh Town and has a lot of connections also since we were friends earlier so I do not want any harm to come to you. Also I would warn you not to mention about our past relationship to Dennis"

Bharat Said: "Pallavi do not worry for me I am not following you rather we are just going to our uncle's place to live and have college admission there. I did not even know that you were also planning to come to Rajgarh Metro City. Yes I loved you and it is difficult for me to move on as you said, however we are childhood friends also so I wish you all the best and happiness in the world and I promise to not pursue you in the future."

Following that they moved to their respective compartments and the rest of their journey was quite without any interesting events and they reached Rajgarh Metro City.