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Anuj stood at the Green Park tube station waiting for the Piccadilly Line train—for Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The LCD display board showed that he had 4 minutes to wait till his train arrived.
Anuj reminisced of his days in Netherhall House. The last day had been quite emotional. He had to bid goodbye to all his friends personally, and to Dan Brown and Fr. Williams who were like his extended family.
He had looked at the visiting room for the last time—those plush sofas where he had spent countless hours in friendly banters and playing monopoly till midnight.
Those black granite floors that had always welcomed him.
That giant clock that had now become his friend. The first day he’d arrived, its tick, tick, tick drove him mad. But after that, every day when he came back from a tiring class, the same sound soothed his soul and reminded him that he was home.
And that wood panelled library where he had spent so many hours browsing through books and sharing notes with his friends.
Netherhall House was indeed a home away from home.
Fr. Williams said to Anuj, “We were blessed to have you here. Your contributions will always be remembered. And your laughter—your unique, full-throated laughter—will always echo in these halls for years to come.”
Fr. Williams’ comment made Anuj emotional. Usually he hid his feelings well, but today he was finding it hard to control his tears.
“I’ll miss you all, no doubt,” said Anuj as he shook hands with Fr. Williams for the last time.
“I look forward to you finding your ideal wife. I would love to attend your wedding in India,” said Fr. Williams.
Anuj nodded. His tears flowed freely. The people he had met in Netherhall had left a deep impact on him. He credited them with shaping his personality. And he wasn’t sure—when will he get to meet them again. What he knew was—it couldn’t be any time soon!
Anuj rushed to the toilet and splashed water on his face. A part of him was happy that he was returning to his home country. He would reunite with his family and with his dog Bagheera. But another part of him was crying—he knew he was leaving behind another set of family members with whom he had formed a strong bond.
He left Netherhall House and walked down the hill dragging his suitcase on its wheels. His rucksack was on his shoulders as usual. He crossed the Finchley Road through the underground passage to enter the tube station. Anuj pulled out his Oyster Card, scanned it and passed through the fare gates. He then took the Jubilee Line to Green Park and waited for the Piccadilly Line to take him to Heathrow.
While presumably on his last journey on the London Underground, Anuj mused about his feelings about the tube. He was grateful that he didn’t need to own a car which he couldn’t avoid if he were living in the US. The tube took him to wherever he wanted to go, with minimum fuss and cost, and in time—at least most of the time!
Anuj couldn’t suppress a smile when he recalled certain messages that he had heard only in the London underground stations and in no other part of the world.
“Stand on your right or walk on the left,” was one such automated message.
The message used to both amuse and fascinate him. The announcement sounded sensible. Those who wanted to stand on the escalators should make way for those who were in a hurry. That was what the message was trying to communicate. But whenever he heard that message, he wanted to follow the instructions literally by standing only on his right feet!
Anuj felt a sudden gush of wind coming from the underground tunnels. The wind became stronger and stronger and it woke up Anuj from his reverie. He was now prepared to board the Piccadilly Line.
The tracks started shaking with a tick, tick, tick sound. It appeared as if a small mouse was running on the tracks towards him. He saw a light coming from the tunnel—the headlights of the train.
The LCD display board said, “Stand back. Train approaching.”
And just then, the train entered the platform with a boom. It slowed down and finally came to a halt. The automatic doors opened and Anuj moved inside the train with his luggage. He had to keep standing as the tube was reasonably packed.
The automatic doors closed and Anuj grabbed a vertical pole for balance. He felt a jerk when the train picked up speed. Anuj was again back to his day dreaming.
He was wondering whether Ella had read his letters. And if yes, what would be her reaction? Would she be upset that he was going away without bidding her a proper goodbye? Was his friendship with her over? Would she miss him as he certainly would? Anuj felt a pang in his heart.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this train is going to terminate at Hatton Cross due to some repair works. Passengers are requested to alight at Hatton Cross. A bus service will be available to take you to Heathrow Airport,” said the driver through the speaker.
“Oh no, not again,” Anuj muttered under his breath.
There you go. The tubes sometimes didn’t take him to the right place—for all kinds of weird reasons.
The train soon reached Hatton Cross and Anuj got down. He came out of the tube station and saw a queue outside the bus stop. Anuj knew he had no option but to wait.
“Why is God delaying this journey,” he wondered.
He patiently waited for his turn which came after a good 15-20 minutes. Thankfully, he wasn’t charged extra. He took a seat and sat down. The bus moved and within 5-10 minutes, he could see the huge glass building looming in the distance.
He was at Terminal 3, Heathrow Airport. Anuj alighted from the bus and with his suitcase walked towards the Terminal building. He was about to enter through the automatic doors when something stopped him. A strange energy told him that he should delay entering by a couple of seconds.
He turned back and looked at the blue sky. May had finally arrived and the weather had warmed up. The breeze touching his cheeks announced the arrival of the sweet summer. He had come to London when he was a twenty something boy and now he felt like a grown up twenty-three year old man.
What had London offered him? Everything. The city made him independent. He made some wonderful friends—who would hopefully remain friends for life.
Now since he was leaving, he wasn’t too disappointed with his rejections at the law firms. He was in fact surprised how well he’d taken them.
And finally he’d experienced a soul-to-soul connection with a girl, even if it was for a short time. A not too bad an experience!
In the oncoming crowd, he suddenly spotted a painfully thin girl walking in his direction. Her skin looked tight and her blonde hair dull. She wore a black blouse and light blue jeans. Her eyes looked familiar.
“Ella!” Anuj exclaimed.
She came close to him. Her eyes were full of affection telling him that she had read his letters. She came closer to him. Without thinking, Anuj let go of his suitcase and took her in a tight embrace. And then she kissed him. He kissed her back. They lip-locked for a few minutes and then she slipped a note in his right hand.
“Take care,” she whispered, “I’m sorry, I’ve to get back immediately. There will be hell to pay otherwise.”
“Bye Ella. Take care. We will be in touch.” Anuj waved back. Ella left as swiftly as she had come.
Anuj opened the note and recognised Ella’s elegant handwriting especially her round As and Ds. He read the first line:
“My dearest Anuj,
I wanted to tell you that I’ve read your letters.”
Anuj folded back the letter and kept it in his trouser pocket. He needed to rush.
Soon he reached the counter and checked-in his luggage. He immediately proceeded to the security check. There was another queue that seem to extend for miles as if it would go beyond the airport.
Anuj diligently took out his laptop and his belt and kept it in a tray. His rucksack was x-rayed and then his shoes. Once he passed through the security gate, he collected his laptop and his belt. He looked at the display board and was relieved to find that he had a few more minutes before boarding was announced. He moved to the passenger lounge and took a seat.
He took out the letter from his trouser pocket and started reading from where he’d left.
“You’ve breathed new life into my soul. After reading your letters, I feel like I’m a new person. Yes, you were right! I was a happy girl, very much like the Princess you described.
Then my life went through a series of turmoil and I became extremely critical of myself.
I called it self-improvement. Now I don’t even remember when my portions became half. When they became one-third, one-fourth and one-tenth? A time came when my portions became so small that I stopped missing them!
I felt ashamed of my eating habits. So I started hiding my food. I started avoiding eating outs!
I lost my sense of balance. When does thin become beautiful and when is thin not beautiful?
I didn’t know what I was doing to myself till you came into my life. You are an angel, Anuj. Your letters rightly identified my critical voice as my demon. I realised that I had internalised criticism from those who never liked me in the first place. Whenever I saw myself in the mirror, I saw through the eyes of those who hated me. Knowingly or unknowingly, I started hating myself.
Your letters have opened my eyes and I realise that beauty is not only your external looks. Such beauty is superficial. Thanks for reminding me of my internal qualities.
When I finished your letters I couldn’t stop crying. For the first time in my life, I could smell a rotten corpse. I could see a shadow in my room—of death—and that shadow had come to claim me.
I saw a vision of my funeral. Maggots feeding on my lifeless body and I cried that this is what I’ve done to myself. This is not what I want from my life. I don’t want to die at the age of twenty-one.
I felt hopeless. Light was going out of my life. I thought everything was over till I saw something outside the window. A Kingfisher bird staring at me looking as majestic as ever with its small tail, brown beak and blue and orange body. Then I was reminded of your family belief of how a Kingfisher bird brings hope.
My questions were answered. I only thought of you at that moment and realised that all wasn’t over.
I had become a river that had dried up. You are the Ganges of my life. You brought so much water into my life that I am rejuvenated. Now I have the strength to carve my own path.
I am going, Anuj, to get well. To seek professional help.
I know it will not be an easy path. But whenever I’ll be in any difficulty, your words will be with me.
Wish me the best of luck. We’ll meet soon.
Till then, do keep in touch. PLEASE!!!!
Love,
Ella”
“All passengers travelling to Delhi by Jet Airways flight 9W118 are requested to immediately proceed to boarding via Gate 51,” said an announcement.
A smile creased Anuj’s lips as he got up to join one final queue—in London.
