SILLY SUSPENSES

She doesn’t like rain, and her name is Megha, currently studying with me.

“I am going to beat rain if it comes today.” She said it to me in Tamil. But I couldn’t reply instead laughed. She is not that much familiar with Tamil since she has possessed nearly five languages. However she speaks very well with some beautiful errors. If her errors become the rules of this Tamil language, I’d say, the language will become immortal and will survive for million centuries.

“Whenever I bring umbrella, it doesn’t rain. But it is little cloudy today and I didn’t bring umbrella.” She said.

Again I didn’t reply and kept on deeming something which she promptly noticed.

“What are you thinking Vinoth?” she asked but this time in English.

“I am thinking of posting something in my Blog so that it may occupy a decent place in the Alexa’s rank.”

“Mmmhmm?”

“But I am not able to find anything as a post Megha.”

“Hmmm!”

“In fact I am waiting for an incident that carries suspense.”

“Yeah yeah.” This she replied in Tamil this time. After finishing our topic discussions, we decided to quit the place.

“When is your train?” she asked while walking towards railway station.

“5:40 in beach” I said and continued, “I have to catch the train in Nungambakkam now or else I will miss the train which I should catch in Beach.”

“Its 5:00 now. Can we?” she asked.

“We have to reach otherwise I have to wait for 6:00 train” I said and continued “we will try.”

We were walking nearly 7 minutes to reach my destiny.

At last, she left me in the railway station and proceeded on her way with Jennet Christina who is another classmate of mine.

I got the train in Nungambakkam and started recollecting whatever words I uttered to her about my new post and the new suspense.

I didn’t expect that my father would create the suspense today. As usual, after getting down in Beach railway station I was waiting for thiruvallur train to carry me along with that thousand heads.

The train came and unloaded the passengers and carried me for the next trip. As usual, I typed the message “Beach TRL” to my father and pressed send button and waited for a minute. A message came. I thought it must be my father for he had sent me message for the very first time this afternoon. I took out my mobile from the pocket and kept my ear closer to it eagerly. Surprisingly it was not my father rather it was screened, “Message not sent!”

By the time the train departed from Beach. Without losing hope, I opened that particular message and clicked re-send.

This time another message intruded. Once again I was shocked! “Message not sent!”

I found that my mobile was in some problem and immediately restarted it. It took time, by the time the train had already reached Rayapuram. As usual I proceeded to the inbox and found the message which had been cheating me to reach my father. When I was about to click the resend button, somebody called me.

“What happened to your mobile? It says ‘not reachable’!” asked the voice which was none other than my father’s.

“I sent you the message but it failed and restarted my mobile and now sending it again.” I said and continued; “Now I am in Thiruvallur train and crossing Rayapuram.”

“Which compartment?” he asked me and didn’t give time to answer him back.

“First compartment. Isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes” I said.

“Okay come then.” He said and disconnected the call. After the call got disconnected, I saw the message and declared to resend it. Again my mobile was screaming before I click the resend button.

“Where are you Vinoth?” this time it was my mother, asked me the same question.

“What ma? I am nearing Vyasarpadi.” Said with the tone of irritation

“Your father asked me to call you.” She said and disconnected the call.

Again I saw the message it was still in the failed list. I had a small hesitation whether to send it or not since the train was almost reaching Vyasarpadi and the message was “Beach trl”. However, I didn’t want to delete the message and once again preceded my finger to the resend button and yet another call surprised me! But this time it was a missed call from my own elder brother. Thank god somehow I sent the message.

The train had nearly crossed Perambur railway station and somebody came and sat beside me with the news paper which I didn’t heed. He started perusing the paper and I was thinking about my Blog and post. Once again I revisited the words which I uttered to my classmate Megha “Waiting for an incident with suspense” I could sense that train had reached Ambathur. All of a sudden I remembered about the form submission along with the attested copies of my provisional certificate and consolidated mark list.

I had the provisional certificate with me and not the other one. I thought of calling my father and asking him bring it to Veppampattu railway station for taking photocopies.

Meanwhile, one hand held my hand from the left.

“What happened to your mobile?” asked me the voice. It was very familiar voice which I had been hearing for the last 23 years and the question which I heard 23 minutes ago. He was none other than my father.

“I don’t know what happened, I sent the message but it failed and I restarted it.  Instantly you called me!”

“Where did you get in?” I asked.

“Viyasarpadi.” He said.

From then on, we didn’t utter a single word to each other till we reach our station.

I didn’t know when he came and sat near to me and I didn’t want to know, I didn’t know why he came to Chennai and I didn’t want to know, and I didn’t ask him that how long he was sitting beside me and I didn’t want to ask that too. The train was passing station by station. It crossed Avadi, it crossed hindu college, then Pattabiram, Nemilicheri and at last thiruninravur. I was noticing every station and waiting for my father to get up to get down in Veppampattu. Suddenly one hand patted my lap.

“Veppampattu has come” said that strange voice. I didn’t react to that and got up with my father. He held my hand and started moving to the entrance.

“I thought he didn’t notice the station” said that stranger to my father.

“Yeah may be since I am with him.” My father retorted.

“You sir?” he asked him surprisingly.

“I am his father and that is why he was not in a hurry.” Said my father and we got down in our station.

Since we’re sitting like strangers, he couldn’t have identified our relationship. Nonetheless, for him, the minute suspense was broken and not to me. My father would have told if I would have asked him what I wanted to ask.

Again I recollected the word I uttered to Megha “waiting for an incident with suspense”

Eventually I came to a conclusion that this is going to be my post today.

For me, the pit is an unknown suspense till I fall;

The destiny is a menacing suspense till I find;

The pillar is the expected suspense till I hit;

The human is a painful suspense till I hear the voice;

The dress is an interesting suspense till I touch;

The shape is a needed suspense till I feel;

And my appearance will remain in suspense till I die!

If the entire life is replete with inevitable suspense, why can’t this small incident remain in suspense to me?