The Last Monday...

The loud whistle of the train made him look up. As the train noisily screeched to a halt at the station, hordes of people materialized on the platform as if out of thin air. People half running, people crossing tracks, people talking on the phone, people staring at their watches, people trying to move ahead of others, people blocking others behind them, people...! But all he could see were shoes...

He had been sitting at this very place polishing shoes everyday since the last 7 years. He recognized every commuter on this station by the footwear they owned. But he knew more about them than they could ever guess. He knew about their greatest pleasures, their most terrible pains, their most pleasant dreams, and their most horrid nightmares. He knew their lives as they lived them - unadulterated and pure.

As he observed all the unpolished shoes walking past, a familiar pair stepped in front of him. An unexpected and inexpiable relief surged over him. He hadn't seen her since a long time now. But the relief was short-lived because as he looked up he saw that her face was covered with bruises that, though fading away, were still slightly visible. She was with a friend today. Her foot on the wooden stand in front of him told him that it was a Monday.

He still vividly remembered the last time she had come...two Mondays back. She was talking on the phone. "I had told you about it last week. I guess you were busy and must have missed it", she said. "...no, I am not saying you are at fault." Her eyes were full and threatening to let go. "It is not a party, just a dinner...No, not just him. Everyone is going." The first drop began to flow and she quickly wiped it off before it reached the end of her long lashes. "Ya, I am sorry. I'll be back home on time...I love you, too."

He was brought back to the present by her friend talking to her. "What happened to your face?" "Allergies", she quietly replied. "Oh my god! Try not getting these allergies on our vacation. I hope you haven't forgotten about it!" She looked unblinkingly at her shoes as she replied, almost with a whisper, "I won't make it. I am getting married and moving with him to Delhi. He says he has better prospects there." Her friend looked at her momentarily, "And what about you? Are you sure of what you are doing?" "Yes of course I am sure," she replied hurriedly. "After-all he loves me so much..."

That was the last Monday he saw her...