“Hometown logistics ka redemption.”
Tickets mil gaye, par coach aur seats alag rows mein. Platform change announcement hua. Chaaron foot-overbridge par bheed ke saath chale. Sameer ne Sana ka bag lene ki offer ki.
“Main utha sakti.”
“Maloom. Offer hai, kidnapping nahi.”
Sana ne bag de diya. “Giraya to inventory charge.”
Coach mein seat confusion nikla. Ek family ne berth exchange ki thi, chart message purana tha. Sameer loud negotiation shuru karta, usse pehle Sana ne PNR seat numbers, current chart aur family ki need samajhkar simple swap nikala. Aakhir chaaron do facing rows mein baith gaye.
“Dekha?” Sana boli. “Volume ke bina bhi solution.”
Sameer ne bag overhead rakha. “Hum atmosphere build kar rahe the.”
Train chali. Kanpur ki lights peeche behne lagiं.
Sameer aur Sana ek side, Chirag aur Mehak saamne. Pehle snacks, jokes, Rinku ki action-film advice. Phir journey ka steady rhythm conversation ko naram kar gaya.
Sameer ne khidki se bahar dekhte hue kaha, “Humare pitaji bolte the naukri mein aadmi kisi aur ka sapna poora karta. Khud ka business hi asli kaam.”
Sana ne poocha, “Isliye courier kholna chahte?”
“Haan. Matlab… unko prove bhi. Woh har job ko chhota bolte the. Hub supervisor sunke bole, parcel gin rahe ho.”
“Parcel ginne mein bura kya?”
“Kuch nahi. Par jab ghar wala chhota bole to aadmi khud bhi shirt zyada bright pehenta hai.”
Sana ne pehli baar us joke ke peeche ka truth dekha. “Main data entry hoon. Manager meri sheet se buyer ko answer deta, par designation wahi. Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai kaam bada karte raho, kursi ka naam nahi badlega.”
“To badlenge.”
“Kaise?”
“Pata nahi. Par badlenge.”
Sana normally bina plan ke sentence reject karti. Is baar usne nahi kiya.
Saamne Chirag ne Mehak se kaha, “Factory mein tumne Agarwal sahib ko suna?”
“Thoda.”
“Order ka scene slow hai. Par ho jayega.”
“Aap har cheez mein ‘ho jayega’ kyun bolte?”
“Nahi bole to?”
“To bhi jo sach hai woh rahega.”
Chirag ne compartment ke dark glass mein apna reflection dekha. “Kabhi lagta hai hum average hain. Kal doosra technician aa jayega, same part bana dega. Ghar mein Amma ko lagta shaadi se hum responsible ho jayenge. Company ko lagta cheap jugaad kar denge. Koi cheez aisi nahi jisme bol sakein—yeh sirf hum.”
Mehak ne dheere se kaha, “Reliable log replace karna mushkil hota hai. Brilliant log mil jaate hain, reliable kam.”
“Hum reliable?”
“Supplier quote second trip mein laaye.”
“Compliment ko FIR jaisa kyun likhti ho?”
“Evidence ke saath.”
Lucknow pahunchne se pehle coach mein log luggage neeche utarne lage. Sameer ne Sana ka bag bina pooche nahi uthaya; bas poocha, aur yes par liya. Chirag aur Mehak door ke paas ek pal side-by-side khade rahe. Train dheemi ho rahi thi.
Chirag ne uski taraf dekha. Mehak ne bhi. Dono ke beech ka distance itna kam tha ki ek film mein yahin kiss hota.
Mehak ne uska haath pakadkar halka sa squeeze kiya, phir chhod diya.
“Reliable banne ka trial period hai,” woh boli.
Chirag ke paas koi joke nahi aaya. “Accepted.”
Platform par utarte hi Sameer ne announcement kiya, “By the way, hum aur Sana officially dating kar rahe.”
Sana ruk gayi. “Hum officially consider kar rahe hain.”
“Same thing.”
“Bilkul nahi.”
“Trial period?”
“Haan. Strict review.”
Sameer ne Chirag ko aankh maari. Sana ne Mehak ka haath pakadkar आगे kheench liya.
Train ke dark window mein Chirag ne ek pal un chaaron ka reflection dekha—do-do saath, par abhi alag seats, alag sheher, alag darr. Phir train aage badh gayi aur reflection tootkar roshniyon mein mil gaya.
Ghanta Ghar se shuru hua din Charbagh ki ghadi par khatam hua tha. Time sahi tha ya nahi, kisi ne check nahi kiya.