MUMBAI LOCAL – #1 – The ‘Overprotective’ Boyfriend

PROLOGUE:

Mumbai Local – Stories From The Lifeline Of Mumbai. A series of short stories that explores the  life of a citizen in a local train. Stories, about relationships, about culture and about the undying spirit of the people, just like the lifeline of Mumbai itself. Some real, some experiences, some fictional and many mere an observation. The many a faces, that seem strangers, draw me close to them. Some ambitious minds, some deceived, some real, some fake. Some young, some old, some hot, some cold like stone. I am one among them, and that’s what draws me more close to them. That’s what draws me towards their face, because every face has a story to tell.

# 1 – The Overprotective Boyfriend

“Baby can we catch the next one? Looks like there will be no place to sit here”, mumbled a voice behind me as I got pushed ahead into the tiny first-class compartment. I managed to get a place to stand and made myself comfortable. The train wasn’t that crowded after-all. If I had got a comfortable position to stand, which means it certainly wasn’t that crowded. But somewhere opposite me, I realised, there was something wrong.

“Baby let’s get down at Bandra and take another train.” I saw a young man, all of my age (around twenty-five), slim, clad in a dark blue jeans and a white Jimmy Hendrix tee trying to be a little extra-sweet with his girl. I thought in my mind, it must surely be the first time for him (wooing a girl), else who adds the extra sugar in one’s coffee?

The girl though was feeling a bit embarrassed, by the way her ‘friend’ was behaving with her. She looked at him and said, “Its okay yaar. Chill. How many times have we travelled in the train? And it’s just two stations.”

I probably could sense that she has travelled more times in the train than him. It was obvious by the fact, that each time the train shook a little more violently, the young man rested his hands on the lady’s shoulders. And each time a reaction like that happened, the lady, wearing a sleeveless top would irritably remove his hand and give a stare at his face.

As the train reached Khar station, a few more people got inside the train, which now was beginning to get full. But still, from where I was standing, I could still see the young couple brimming with romance. Their public display of affection though was restricted to the light swirling of hair and those odd pinches; it gave entertainment to fellow passengers including me.

The young man was holding the bar at the side railing, protecting his lady like a bouncer at the club. Each time a slight push from the either end, would result in the man giving a stare to them and an annoying expression to his girl. While the girl, all embarrassed continued to ignore his sorry plea.

As I flipped the pages of the book I was reading, I noticed that the noise was getting a bit louder. The train had halted on a bridge, just before Bandra and the young man was arguing with a fellow passenger.

“Ghur kya raha hai? Ladki dekhi nahi kya pehle?” he argued with a man almost double his age. The blowing wind had disturbed the lady’s dress and the strap of her innerwear was exposed to light. It was perhaps that which caught the attention of the hefty man. He cropped up an innocent face and before he could say anything, the girl shouted at her guy.

“You are damn embarrassing man. It’s a god damn crowd. Why the f*^% are you behaving like this?” He didn’t have an answer but anger continued to blow up his nostrils. “But..But l…”, “Just Shut Up!” she didn’t even let him complete.

“Roy you are annoying dude. Just relax.” She kept saying him as the train slowly made its way towards Bandra. “Riya it’s my duty” he said in an awkward tone.

“Duty? To be so overprotective and annoying? Next time I go in the ladies and you stay here. Else I am not travelling with you for sure.”  The romance had now ended and it was literally a small battle going on in the compartment. While most of the passengers completely ignored and laughed at the plight of the young man, I was trying my hard not to express my feelings.

Seconds later, in a soft tone he said, “Baby. I am sorry. I won’t behave like this the next time. But you know..”

“It’s okay” she said and the man was smiling again. He grabbed her cheeks and pinched them hard. As the train entered Bandra and slowed down , the couple made their way to the footboard.

While a few passengers were barging in, my eyes were on the couple. I knew the action wouldn’t end so easily.

“Baby, get down slowly, put your right foot first, else you will fall down.” That was enough. The girl got down and walked off flinging her bag in anger as the young man stood there expressionless.