NAMELESS

She welcomed me to the seat next to her in a smart, friendly way and helped me stow away my overnighter.
Youth is always engaging in its vigour and vitality!!!
Long, striaight, silky hair.
Honey-brown eyes.
Arresting face.
Attractively dressed in blue denim and grey-blue body hugging T-shirt.
A picture post card of gen-now.
The added bonus points - courteous, intelligent, very quick on the uptake, considerate.
What else did you need in your co-traveller for a two and a half hour air borne status.
She was ready to exchange seats when she realized that I and the person seated on her right were known to each other.
"No", I declined, may be a little too strongly.
"No?", Surprise shone in her eyes with a glint of understanding.


Besides destination, we had one another thing in common...........Eckhart Tolle.
She was reading his latest bestseller.
I asked her how it was.
She was all praises.
"It is all about the ego and the illusions which we are comfortable living with," She explained.
"How true!", I remarked.
She asked me whether I had read the book.
I said no but I had read his other bestseller "Power Of Now", which actually changed my life.
"How could you?", She was amazed,"Its real hard read!"
"Read it in installments and let the ideas slowly seep in and get embedded in your mind," I explained.
She nodded understanding.


I slept for the next two hours.
When the wheels touched the tarmac, my acquaintance (actually, my boss!) sprinted out of the craft without a second's look back.
She helped me with my luggage and promptly stopped the Governor's entourage for me to disembark first.
I was happily embarrassed.
"Ma'am! Nobody has manners here. Nobody gives way to a lady. If you stand by they'll make you wait forever".
I thanked her.


We boarded the bus to the departure lounge together.
She stood scanning her mobile while I took a window seat and gazed out.
I was the first to get down.
It was almost dusk and the lounge was empty.
Half way down, I turned around to thank her once again for all the help.
Unfamiliar faces stared back at me.
She was not to be found.
I was surprised. perhaps a little sad too.
How could she leave so quickly without a notice!


There was not much time to ponder.
The protocol was waiting to greet us.
Soon we got busy....a lot of hand shakes, back patting, namasteys.
First time intros........luggage check outs............so on and so forth.......


There are very few people in this world who have this extra ordinary capability of making you feel special. My co passenger was gifted with that quality. She was one of those very few who left behind a sweet fragrancefull memory which you could muse over in your leisure.


"Oh! yes I shall remember you for a very long long time", I thought. You do not need a whole life time's association to remember a person. Sometimes a moment's notice, a passing nod, a casual touch or a sudden catching of the eye can be enough to make a lasting impression.
And I had spent a whole two and a half hours with her!!!!!!!!!!!
If only I had her address I coud have posted her a "Thank You" Card.

I looked back once again to see if I could catch her sight and call out to her perhaps.
Call out ? That requires a name, doesn't it?

As I stepped out of the airport it struck me that I did know her name.

In the limited periphery of time, when two souls with a common chord had intersected each other's paths, identity, nomenclature and other mundane material attachments had lost significance. What had assumed greater importance was the comfort, warmth and empathy that we shared in each others company even if it was for a few hours.

May be some other day some other time, we'd meet again!!!!!!!!!!
And it would be then that I'd find out what name the kind hearted ones are called by!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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