Three

Amar

It was his parent’s thirtieth wedding anniversary. He had arranged for a surprise party that evening. He had made sure to invite everyone on the guest list personally. The caterers had been arranged after the food menu was decided by his brother and wife. The only task pending was to decorate the house. But for this he needed his parents to be away. He had schemed with his brother and the latter had taken their parents out to the temple. He had to decorate the house before they returned. His brother would make sure that they didn’t return before seven p.m. The guests would have also arrived by then.

He checked his watch. Four-thirty! It was time to leave office. Since his boss was on the guest list, he didn’t have to sneak his way out today. He packed his case and called his wife. They were to meet at the house by five-thirty. The guests would start arriving by six. They had to decorate the house in thirty minutes. He came out of the building and took and auto. Ten minutes to reach the station and thirty five minutes in the local train. He could already imagine the surprised faces of his parents. He smiled.


Rohan

“What a football match it had been!” he thought as he left the field. He was the star center forward of his team. He had not let his team down today. Two goals! They would remain in his memory forever. The long distance shot where the ball had swerved in late and surprised the goal keeper. The header on the second was too good for the defenders. Two goals in the state championship final football match. How glad his parents would be!

He was their lone child. His father was in government service as a clerk. His mother was a house wife. They were not really well to do. But he was to change that. He had taken this task on his shoulders. He was studying engineering and was a class topper. Not only was he good in studies but also excellent in sports. Right now all he wanted was to share with his parents the joy of being the player of the match in one of the most important matches of his life. That was the reason he was going home alone. His friends were still celebrating on the field. But he was on his way home.


Malti

She would tell him today. It would be a “Yes”. She had taken her time to make the decision. The decision of her life! It had almost been a week when Sameer had proposed to her. She had always liked him. They had been in a relationship for almost six months now. She had been expecting him to propose to her. But she had kept him on hold for a week before finally deciding.

She was an orphan, who had been raised by her aunty. After completing her bachelors, she had taken up a job as a secretary in a small firm. That is where she had met Sameer. Sameer was a consultant in the same firm. They had clicked right from the word go. Friendship had turned into love and now they had decided to marry each other. She had decided to play it smart and beat around the bush while telling Yes to him. She could clearly see the frustrated face of Sameer when she would do that. She glanced at her watch. She was late. He would be waiting.


4:46 p.m. Churchgate bound slow local train.

“I hope she doesn’t forget to collect the ribbons and balloons. Let me remind her. ” He took out his cell to sms her.

“I could have hit another goal. It would be three then. A new record!”. He glanced at the man opposite to him in the train. The man had just taken out his cell. “One day even I ll own a nice trendy cell phone”

“I hope I am not too late. I don’t want to spoil Sameer’s mood”. She was standing next to the boy with the football who was drenched in sweat, mud and only God knew what else. “Why do these people travel in trains?”

BOOM!!!


Next day morning:

TIMES OF INDIA HEADLINES
Seventy-three die in bomb blast in a local train in Mumbai. X terrorist group suspected to be the culprit.



I could write only about these three. Imagine the countless others who lose their lives in such mishaps. Imagine the countless dreams that are shattered by the death of every single soul. The untimely deaths of hundreds of people of the world in such mishaps will not go in vain. If there is God, the people responsible for these acts will not go unpunished.