Volvo 650A [M.G Road to Aluva]

Out of the 12 million luxury buses in the world, The last one i noted was 650A-Volvo, running daily to Aluva from M.G road of Cochin at exactly 7.00 PM! Everyday they runs on the same route with all the seats covered with asses of the lucky travelers. Fortunately, I also was a daily visitor of this bus, the front one to the corner seat from the last, i have always believed that seat is mine!

Several days i have returned from my office in this bus, but never come across with a complaint. Every day you get into a bus, you come across with different sorts of people from different parts of the city. You will never know who he/she was, what her/ his character was, what are they in real life, but the one thing you will have to remember always is out of the million chances of not meeting these people, the destiny has brought together all of you under one closed moving box with a/c. Possibilities are many. I sat on my seat as usual and directed all the air pipe fronts towards my face. Its bringing cold now to my face. 

Its been a while the bus started, seats are getting filled easily. I was eagerly waiting for someone to share my seat with. The bell screamed tight informing the next stop and i saw people setting themselves to get into the bus somehow and get there asses placed on the unfilled seats. But they didn't had any clue that they all were fighting for just one seat, at that time, and that one's beside me. I smiled!
The bus stopped and all of them marched in, but only one could take the seat with me, and i saw an old woman, rushing towards me aiming the seat. She hit everyone who was on her way to me. A lot of baggages too. At the first sight she threw me a couple of bags at me and smiled at my face like a newly born kid. I could easily calculate the number of tooth's in her mouth with that smile she gave. But i didn't want to do it, because i knew she had only 3! Then she took a whopping 100 rupees note from her money bag and cut one ticket to Palakkad. 

Wait a minute, did i hear Palakkad out of her mouth? When i saw the conductor's laughing face joined by other fellow travelers i understood it was for real. The woman was climbing the peak of embarassement, sitting beside me there. She was arguing without knowing that the bus will go until Aluva only. I didn't talk anything. People sitting around were trying to understand her the situation, and she was hearing everything so perfectly like a fresh kid in school. She asked the conductor to cut her a ticket anywhere he likes. I was stunned with that clause she put forward. The wise conductor accepted the woman's wish by cutting a ticket to the next stop. She got up wanting to get down at the next stop and asked me to catch her bags and when i did, she started walking to the door, i walked behind her carrying the bags. The next moment i was standing in Palarivattom bus stop with an old woman, holding her bags, with no penny in my pocket. The woman was closely watching everything appeared before her eyes and some time later she found me also with her eyes. A young boy standing before her holding her bags. She got fascinated, and took away her bags from me. She was smiling too. She thanked me and then she asked, This stop belongs to you also, right? Good!

I nodded with a smile. She asked how much time it would take to reach Palakkad from there. 

"Probably a 3-4 hours, in bus!" She felt okay with my answer, and so i asked her, "Its a long way for a woman like you to travel in the night."

She replied, "oh, i don't mind dying on my way."

With a smile, she replied again, "After 21 years i wanted to come to this city again to attend my grand child's funeral. 21 years i lived inside my house without going out and when i heard my grand child is getting buried, i rushed. Now i'm here in front of you, do you think it really matters me to reach home in time.?"
I was motionless, but i had to really answer her queries with the smile she expected from me. I smiled. She too. She said, "boy, go home, before it gets too late for you."
I smiled again in short of words and in brief steps i made her understood, how to reach Palakkad from there, and then it ended with a bye. I started walking and walking and walking.
I knew i had to walk at least 5 kilo meters now to reach my home, with no penny in hand, in the memory of some smiles provided by the old woman standing far behind me. By the way, Is she still standing there? I asked myself Or has she gone from there too? The answer was in her eyes.. the eyes searching freedom without expecting the wonders of this world buried in beliefs. Shes having the most memorable moments of her life. And i'm walking for the ticket i already have in my pocket. I teared it and taught them to fly in the middle of the road. The five kilo meters i was gonna walk felt like nothing to me comparing to the smile of the woman i saw. The road of destiny was far spread in front of me!