Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Day 56 : 2013 - The Absent Year


Today started rather odd. On my way to office while boarding the train to work, a random girl started smiling and waving at me. I naturally thought there must be someone standing behind me and that enthusiastic wave is meant for that person. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I ignored this girl; I got into the train, took a seat, put my earplugs in and carried on with the book I was reading (Gone Girl, by G Flynn).

Soon the trained reached my station, too soon actually I was getting to the part where Amy's diary gets discovered, and I got down from the train. And there she was again, this time right in front me, looking straight at me. Surely there was no confusion anymore, I took out my earplugs and asked her if I knew her. She poked at my arm saying, I am being a typical guy, and of course I knew her. She used to living in the same hostel building as me in Pune. We used to eat dinners together in the canteen at times. We did? Did I ever eat in that canteen? I always had a serious dislike for canteen sort of food. There was no way they can afford chicken at those prices, who knows what sort of bird they we end up eating in those places. Plus the oil, there is always a layer of oil floating on top of every curry they ever make.

I just pretended that I did remember her, asked how she was, how come she is in Mumbai, does she work here now, blah blah, the usual. All the while I was trying to remember her name. Damn, I've no clue who she was and here she was talking about the biotech course that my sister (she remembered even her name!) was taking in college. Did I really talk about my sister with her? Who is this girl?

I was practically jogging by then, trying to reach my office building as soon as possible to avoid extending this conversation any longer than it needs to be. Don't get me wrong, the girl was not hideous or anything. Actually she was really pretty in a way. Small and petite, that's always cute. Remember, I am a really tall guy walking fast, so she probably had to run to keep up with me. And that she did. She talked all the way to office. We reached her office first, she demanded my number, got me to promise to keep in touch and we departed our ways. Her joking about something related to a blue moon or something, or was a glue cartoon? Not really sure, she talked way too fast to keep up with half the things she said.

Now here I am at work, done with the pending tasks from yesterday and the crucial ones for today. And all I can think about is that girl. How can I not remember someone? I am always the one who remembers faces. I recognize people I have only met once decades ago and still remember stories about them. My memory might be devastating when it comes to math and such, but with people I am really good.

So I sat there and started to recollect the hostel that she was talking about. It was a mixed hostel, had both guys and girls staying there. I remembered that distinctly. I also remember that there was a canteen near the hostel where folks from there used to go for supper. I can remember
 Only two people from that time, and one of them only because I actually knew him before 2013.

2013. That infamous black hole of my life. Damn, whenever something of this sort happens I can easily map it to this period of total chaos. There were so many things constantly happening with me and to me, I still have no idea what truly went down in those twelve month. Them shrinks call it PTSD or something. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, does that mean there was something that bad in 2013 that my brain is trying its best to completely record over. Damn, no I am curious what that might be. In our totally mediocre daily routine, I'd be really shocked to know that something this traumatic can actually happen to someone. It’s not like we are the 20-somethings fighting war killing people. Or out there getting abused on a daily basis. I sure hope no one is.

2013, draws a complete blank inside my head at times. So if you met me during this time. Or if there was something I did or say during this time. Please don't think too much of it, I was probably working on auto-pilot all that time. And if you had loaned me some money during that time. Definitely, forget about it.

Today, I plan go through my 2013 Facebook and Blogger posts. Maybe I'd find some clues to the puzzle there.

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