Transit- Chapter 6

Ayaan woke up screaming, his body covered in sweat from the nightmare. For the second time that week, he woke up at the sound of the gunshot. He checked the digital clock on his night stand. It was 4.08 a.m. Falling back onto his pillow, Ayaan cupped his face in his palms, wiping away the beads of perspiration that formed near his hair line. Staring up at the ceiling, he tried to remember exactly what he saw but the dream came in fragments. He couldn’t remember any names, faces or exactly what happened. All he could recall was the piercing sound of the bullet being shot to his chest. He sat up in his bed, placing his bare feet on the cold marble floor of his bedroom. He slowly stood up and walked into the attached bathroom, switching on the light. The gentle yellow glow of the bulb fell in to his bedroom from the tiny gap where the door hadn’t been closed completely. Splashing cold water on his face, he looked at his sixteen year old reflection in the mirror. There was something unsettling about that dream.

He switched off the bathroom light and went to his study. The soft light instantly flooded the room, giving the night an ominous, almost eerie atmosphere. He rummaged through the stacks of loose paper, old school books to find his diary. He decided to maintain significant events in his adolescent life ever since his grandfather gave him a leather bound journal for his 16th birthday. The pages had been empty till two days ago, the first entry he made after he heard the gunshot.

12th July, 2003
‘I heard the shot again. Don’t know if seeing and hearing the same thing for the second time can be classified as a recurrent nightmare but there was something different about this dream. It felt real, almost like I could feel the sting of the bullet piercing my chest, like I couldn’t breathe. I think there was someone else with me. I could feel a presence. I’m not sure though.’

Ayaan sat at his desk for a long while, thinking. He couldn’t get himself to fall asleep again. It had been a little over an hour since he was woken up by the nightmare and sleep was long gone. He walked over to his bed and opened the drawer of his night stand. He pulled out an old tattered novel, his grandfather’s favourite—J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Looking at the faded cover, Ayaan felt a sense of calm, the way he felt whenever he sat and spoke to his grandfather. Ever since his grandfather passed away, merely a few weeks after he turned sixteen, Ayaan became withdrawn and somewhat of a loner. He smiled when he was supposed to, obeyed his parents and did what he was told but something inside of him had died. There was nobody he could really connect with, who understood him quite like his grandfather had. Sighing, he turned the page and began reading the familiar words for the millionth time:
‘If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father.’
After Ayaan lost his grandfather, his father’s father, he began relating to Holden Caufield more and more each day—not in terms of his experiences but the fact that Ayaan felt a certain fear about the process of change and growing up, which incidentally manifested itself in the wake of his grandfather’s demise. He shut the book and placed it gently back in the drawer. He had a big day ahead of him and he wasn’t really looking forward to it—the beginning of a new phase of his life with an orientation day programme at the college he had enrolled in. he reluctantly turned off the bedside lamp, unwilling to be pulled into a dream again but he had no choice. It was 5.43 a.m. and he knew he would be groggy for the formal introductions that lay ahead. He fought consciousness and finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.

********

Trisha nervously paced back and forth in her bedroom, her left hand rested on her lower back while the fingers of her right hand pulled at her lower lip. Her pink floral nightdress blew gently with her dance like walk. She could not believe that the orientation programme for her new college began in two hours, and she was apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. None of her friends would be there; getting into prestigious colleges that she couldn’t manage to get into because of her average test scores. And the worst news of all was that she’d be spending her 16th birthday sitting with a room full of strangers getting acquainted with the rules of the college and receiving a first hand tour of the campus by one of the seniors. Not her idea of a fun birthday. She finally grabbed her towel and went into her bathroom. She stood at her sink a long moment, staring frightened into the drain, as if to suggest that it was sucking away every last ounce of her sanity. She was entering a new phase in her life; entering a new world she had no control over sent a wave of discouragement through every last nerve in her body. He fought back tears, trying hard to convince herself that what she was feeling was absolutely normal. She undressed and stepped into the hot water that fell onto her tense body, slowly releasing her of the overwhelming anxiety she was feeling. Outside, it began to pour.

********

Ayaan jumped up at the ringing of the alarm set for 6.30 a.m. He rushed in for a bath, got dressed, grabbed his bag and ventured to find a rickshaw in the pouring rain. Fifteen minutes later, he waited patiently at the bus stop, pulling the rain coat tighter around his body. The jacket he had on underneath wasn’t much help against the beating raindrops and forceful breeze that had begun around him. The rain seemed to be getting heavier with each passing second, not really easing his panic stricken demeanor and sleep deprived state. After a restless night, the last thing he needed now was to be late. He stayed outside of the city which meant the journey to college would take him two hours every day. He applied for a bed at the college hostel but he’d only be allowed to move in once the term started, which was a few days away. After he got acquainted with the campus, he’d be shown around the hostel as well but that was something he could bother about later. Right now it was 7.33 a.m. and the programme started at 10 a.m.

Stepping out from under the shelter of the bus stop, Ayaan peered into the grey of the morning, hoping he could catch a glimpse of a passing vehicle in the thick clouds of water that fell heavily in front of him. He finally managed to spot the bus, moving slowly to avoid causing any accidents. Before the bus halted, he jumped into it, catching the empty, dry seat in the middle of the bus near a shut window. He needed the glass to support his head as he slept for the two hours it would take him to reach. The bus waited for fifteen minutes before it pulled out onto the highway.

After a few moments on the road, Ayaan began drifting into a light sleep, occasionally jerking awake with the bumps on the road. With his hands firmly tucked under his arms, Ayaan rested his head the window and let himself slip into oblivion as the bus speeded down the highway. Outside, the rain had subsided into a steady fall of droplets that stung but still wasn’t enough to soak you. As the country passed by, Ayaan found himself transported to another place and time. Visions of a completely new place filled his unconscious as he found himself driving an SUV down a road he had never traveled before. He was aware that he was dreaming, yet he knew that somehow what he could see was somewhere he had been or maybe it was a premonition of what lay ahead. He smiled as the breeze hit his face, filling his nostrils with the sweet scent of the sugar apple trees that lines the road he was driving down. Almost as soon as the serenity set in, he found himself being pulled out of the car, lying on the beach bleeding with the loud sound of a scream that echoed into the night.

Ayaan awoke at the sound of the scream, coincidently resembling the blaring sound of the bus, now honking its way through the traffic filled road of the city. He sat up, wiping his face and realized that he still had about twenty-five minutes before he reached the college and over an hour before the programme began. ‘Maybe the driver took a short cut,’ he though to himself. Still groggy from the nap, he began clearing his mind trying to make sense of the dream he had had. Twice in the span of only a few hours, Ayaan had seen those disturbing images again, this time with a little more details added. He couldn’t make any sense of it. But he would have to worry about it later. Right now he had a splitting headache and he desperately needed a cup of piping hot tea and maybe a nice warm breakfast. In his hurry this morning he didn’t have time to grab anything to eat, not even a packet of biscuits that was lying in the kitchen cabinet.

The bus made its way out from behind a few cars and sped towards the final stop. It was a five minute taxi ride to the University and his cup of tea. Pulling into the bus station, Ayaan jumped off the seat and raced to the door, eagerly waiting to escape the claustrophobia he had begun to feel in the last few moments of the journey. Before the bus came to a complete halt, Ayaan alighted from the bus, leaving the angry driver cursing behind him. Hailing a cab, he pulled off his rain coat and shoved the wet overall into a plastic bag. The rain had finally stopped though the sun still sought refuge behind the silver-grey clouds that filled the monsoon sky of the city.

********

Trisha made her way through the throngs of students that had gathered near the large iron gates of the Geoffrey Collin’s University a college that most students opted for when they didn’t acquire a seat at the prestigious St. Luke’s. High stone walls made from a rare, dark alabaster stone, gave this college its historical and heritage status; 18th century stained class loomed high above, perfectly restored to its original splendour when the staff and students collectively organized fund raisers and sporting events to help with the restoration and maintenance; white stone gargoyles ruled the old, wooden rooftop of the college, keeping watch on all sides. She drew in her breath as she navigated her way to the hall where the orientation programme was being held. Walking with her gaze at her feet, Trisha followed the other students into the large room, with a high ceiling that resembled that of an old church with wooden beams that stretched along the width of the room, forming the support for the roof. She stared in awe at the wooden paneling along the side of the walls that stopped just quarter of the way from the floor. Wooden columns stood tall, exquisitely carved at the top, where they supported the balcony that formed a first floor looking space above the seats below. Straight ahead was an old stage with a big board of wood erected behind it covered by black velvet, forming the backdrop of the stage. The walls of the hall were painted a dark beige matching the décor and colour scheme of the hall. Hugh oil painting of the former principals lined the walls on all sides. It was evident from this one room that the college had a great history within the walls.

Trisha was ushered along the side by the senior students, urging the crowd to be quiet and take their seats. She found a seat somewhere in the middle, next to a group of girls giggling at a group of boys sitting on the other side. She smiled politely at one of the girls who turned a curious eye towards her. Just then her cell phone began to ring—a present from her parents for her sweet sixteenth.
“Hello?”
“Hi baby, how’s it going?”
“It’s fine ma. It hasn’t started yet.”
“How are the people?”
“I don’t know…they seem fine I guess. I haven’t spoken to anyone.”
“Oh… ok then… I’ll see you when you get home. Your father and I are going to do some shopping for your party. Anyway, you get back to the programme. Bye.”
“Ok mama. Bye.”
Trisha hung up and waited patiently, still looking around the great hall, amazed at its magnificence. The hall was slowly filing up and each time she looked around, she noticed girls scowling at her while most of the guys smiled. She didn’t know if there was something on her clothes or if those looks and smiles were even meant for her. She was already tense enough to have this to worry about. She stood up and whispered to the girl sitting next to her, “Please save my seat. I’m feeling a little sick so I need some fresh air.” The girl simply smiled back, placed her bag on Trisha’s seat and went back to giggling with her friends. Straightening her baby pink three-fourth sleeved shirt that she threw over a pair of navy blue jeans, Trisha ran to the door, ignoring the scolding from the senior students.

********

Ayaan sipped on the steaming cup of ginger infused tea, waiting for his sandwich to arrive. He checked his watch for the fifth time in the past five minutes, wondering if he’d make it on time. The tea seemed to dispel the headache but with the clock ticking closer to ten o’clock, his nervousness from last night seemed to resurface. He pulled out his book and flipped through the pages, scanning the passages as he sipped his tea. Finally his grilled chilli-cheese sandwich arrived. He gulped down the last few sips of tea and ordered another cup before he dived into his food. He checked his watch again. It was 9.43. a.m. and he had about 15 minutes before he had to enter the hall. Sitting in the college cafeteria at a table all by himself, Ayaan felt the stares of the senior students pierce his back. But he ignored them and bit into his sandwich. As he ate in silence, a petite girl with long cascading black hair, a rosy blush in her ivory skin and big black almond eyes walked into the canteen. Ayaan stopped chewing, stared open mouthed at the prettiest girl he had ever seen. By the looks of everyone else around, he wasn’t the only one who thought she was beautiful. Staring at her slender figure, hidden under the slightly over sized pink shirt and navy blue jeans she was wearing, Ayaan couldn’t help but hope she would glance in his direction. He held up his book, hiding his face from her so she wouldn’t know he had been looking.

Walking up to the counter, she placed her ordered, then turned to scan the room for a place to sit. She spotted an empty seat opposite a strange boy, whose nose was propped into a book. Taking the cup of tea she had been served, she slowly walked to that empty seat, careful not to spill the steaming liquid.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
Ayaan stared up from his book, his heart pounding hard against his rib cage as Trisha spoke to him. He searched his mind hard, trying to make sense of what to say. He began fumbling, his lips messed up and his words couldn’t flow in coherent sentences.
“A-a-a…ye-yes… I-I mean no. The seat isn’t taken. Please…” he said, gesturing to the vacant chair opposite him.
“Thanks,” she said smiling, taking the seat. As much as he tried to look away, there was something about her that made him sneak a peek now and then. The smile from only moments ago seemed to have made an impression in his mind. He watched as her soft, pink lips savoured the sweet ginger liquid; her fingers brushing the silky straight strands of hair that fell on her face. He watched silently as she finished her tea, paid the waiter and made her way outside the canteen. Ayaan checked his watch. It was almost 10. a.m. and he was late. He stuffed the sandwich into his mouth, chewing as he sipped his tea. He paid the waiter and immediately ran toward the hall for the orientation, still lost in the trance of the girl that sat across from him.

He found a seat at the back of the room, reaching just as the principal began his welcome speech. Settling in, he caught his breath and composed himself. He sat dreaming, lost in his thoughts as the staff and a few students took the crowd through the rules and regulations and eventually on the tour around campus. They had been divided into groups of twenty students each, according to the subjects they had opted for. As they all stood up to leave, he saw long black hair out the corner of his eye but she was gone before he could completely turn around.