Once Upon a Metro

Platform 1, said the green colored sign board that hung from the roof. It was Jake’s first time at a Metro station, in fact his first time in the city. The station looked clean and pristine unlike the railway stations. Though he wondered how long it would remain so.

Jake felt a pat on his shoulder and turned left. It was an elderly gentleman along with a boy. He pulled his earphones out. Earphones have always been a constant companion in his travels. The wire ran over his chest and abdomen into his left jeans pocket, where he kept his phone.

“When is the next metro?” The gentleman asked.

“I don’t know. They said there is a metro every 10 minutes.”

In the next two minutes the gentleman explained that the boy was his grandson whom he had been babysitting while his parents were out working. The boy had been insisting for a ride in the Metro train for days.

“Metro, metro” The boy hoped about like a bunny. A green and silver colored metro entered the overhead station.

Allie was sitting at the end of a rather empty coach. Being a resident of the city, she had been using the metro since the day of its inauguration. The initial rush had settled down. The people who were there just to check out the metro project, that had been a talk, had put up their Instagram stories and WhatsApp statuses and left. It had become her duty to take all her friends who came into the city for a ride in the Metro. Now there were only those people who saw it as a medium for commuting.

It was the last day of the free return ticket offer. Having been a regular passenger, she had become accustomed to it. But it also meant she had to carry around the ticket all day. She even had a section of her purse set aside just for the ticket.

The metro entered into a station. The PA system came on and a robotic female voice announced the arrival at the station. So did the indicator at the top of the sliding door.

The metro came to a standstill and the doors slid open. Jake entered into what he thought was the least populated coach. The seats were bluish green, not exactly his favorite color. The gentleman and the boy sat opposite to him. There were also around ten others including a girl in a burgundy top with a high pony hairstyle.

As the metro started moving, the little boy stood upon the seat to get a better view. Jake plugged in the earphones again, I want to be with you by Chainsmokers continued. He then went on to stare out of the glass window, sharing the boy’s view while occasionally glancing over at the girl in the burgundy top. She seemed to be from city itself. She caught him looking at her once, but went back to her phone as if she didn’t care.

Allie noticed a boy wearing earphones glancing over at her now and then. She didn’t care much. She had been used to this. She looked stunning in her burgundy top and besides he didn’t seem like a menace. She went back to skimming through her Instagram feed. She wondered if she should put up a story but quickly decided against it.

She was on her way to get some books from one of the bookstores at Lulu mall. Now there was an entrance to the mall from the nearest metro station itself. It saved a five minute walk down from the platform to the walkway outside the station and then to the mall.

Jake looked at the indicator over the door which showed the next station. His destination was the Lulu mall which was second stop from the next. He had no real purpose of visiting the mall. Maybe he would spend some time at the gaming section and then pick up one or two books. He had assumed that the mall would have a bookstore.

The boy now came over to his side to get the view from that side. They quickly became acquainted. For some reason children seemed to love him. The boy was named Dany.

“He is turning four the coming August”, his grandfather interjected.

Allie got up and moved towards the door. So did the guy with the earphones. The metro was approaching her stop. She put her phone back into her purse. Just as the metro entered the station, she saw another metro enter the station at the platform 1. She could see people waiting to board the metro.

Standing on platform 1, Jake looked for the bridge to the mall. During their brief talk in metro, the gentleman had told him that a bridge from the station to the adjacent mall had been opened recently. One could now enter the mall right from the station.

The girl in the burgundy top had continued on. He liked how she had kept her hair, the ponytail style. He kept his earphones in his left pocket along with his phone. As he stood there looking at the traffic on the road below, his phone rang. A smile came upon his face.

“Hey you”

“Where are you”, she asked.

“Where are you”, Allie spoke on the phone as she strolled along platform 2 as the metro started to leave.

“Metro”, he said.

“Where?” She retorted though she had heard it clearly the first time. She couldn’t believe it.

“Metro. I’m at a metro station.” Jake said.

“You are in my city and you didn’t call me” She was furious. Without waiting for him to explain she continued “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Relax girl, my offer expired.”

“Expired.” She repeated with absolute disdain. “So where are you going?”

“I just got off the metro and I’m walking to the bridge entrance to the mall”

“WO, WO, WO, stop right there.”

“What happened?”

“Which platform?”

“Why? I’m at..” He searched for a signboard that said the platform number.

“Platform 1.” She completed his sentence, just as he found the signboard that said platform 1.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m looking right at you from platform 2.”

Jake turned around to find Allie looking right at him. He waved at her. She was also wearing a burgundy top! Her hair let free for the wind to play with.

“I have an idea”, Allie said as she fished for another piece from the bucket of smoky grilled chicken at KFC.

She had led him straight to KFC without even giving him a chance to explore the mall. Though it was his first time at the mall, he had eaten from KFC before. Once, when he went out with his friends. However, as for Allie, that was her favorite eatery.

“Oh! Then we don’t have to get idea.”

“Shitty joke.” Allie said with a frown. Jake didn’t object. He already knew that arguing with her was a bad idea. She wouldn’t back down, unless she is proved wrong.

“Let’s hear your idea” Jake suggested taking a bite of the chicken wing. Right after which he made a mental note to say to his vegan friend. ‘You don’t know what you are missing’

“Okay, so in order to make this unexpected bumping into each other memorable, we’ll get each other a book. What do you say?”

“Sounds good”

“There are two bookstores in this mall, DC Books and Crossword. Here pick one” She held out two fingers of her left hand.

“Okaaay” Jake grabbed her index finger.

“You go to DC Books and I’ll go to Crossword.”

“Where is it?”

“You are the one who wanted to explore the mall. So explore.” She shrugged.

Allie walked around at Crossword scoping for the best book for the occasion. She knew he also loved books. One of the many things they had in common. She knew his favorite genre but she wanted to pick something that reminded him of her. Something special. And after searching for twenty minutes she found it.

Jake checked his watch as the escalator took him up. Twenty-five minutes since they parted. He found the book he wanted to gift her rather quickly though it took him some time find the store. Crossword was right in front of him when he got off the escalator. He waited outside. She was surprised to find him waiting for her.

“You go first”, Allie said.

Jake fished the book out of the carry bag and showed it to her. Her jaw almost dropped in disbelief. Allie showed her book to him with great excitement. The front cover of both the books said:

Once upon a Metro