A Story That Never Ended

Kempagowda International Airport.

Air India AI776 has been delayed by 1 hour 33 minutes.

I took a coffee and went towards the waiting area.

I was just going to plug in my earphones when I was interrupted by a girl.

‘Hello, mam. I don’t believe you are here. I have read all your stories. I am a big fan of your romantic stories. Would you mind if I take some of your minutes?’

I could not deny her, after all, she was so happy.

She sat beside me.
‘Ma’am, tell me a story which has no ending’ .

‘Hmm…’, I tried recalling every possible story I could tell.

Okay, I have one story which I could never end, I said as I moistened my lips…

I occupied the 18F seat near the window.

Windows seat has always been my favorite.

I took off my sandals and closed my eyes for a nap as the plane took off.

‘Would you like to have coffee?’, the passenger next to me asked.

‘No, thanks’, I said.

He had ordered coffee for himself.

The coffee split over him as it fell from the air hostess’ hand.

I had a tissue paper in my bag which I gave him.

He thanked me and asked my name.

‘I am Isha Gupta’, I replied.

‘Wait…Wait…You are an Engineer. Right?’

‘No, why?’, I asked.

‘I felt engineers are this boring like you.’

I said, ‘I am an editor for a local newspaper.’

‘Ohh! Okay miss.’

He started talking about different topics, Indian politics, Geography, mythology and so on.

By then, I had assumed him to be an intelligent guy.

The plane was just going to land when I realized that I had forgotten to ask his name.

‘Hey… what’s your name?’

‘I am Aman Roy.’, he said and showed a card which said he was a pilot.

We exchanged our numbers and before parting ways he asked,

‘So, when can I kidnap you for lunch?’

‘Any Friday’, I said.

I had an off every Friday from my work.

We did not talk for a week or so.

One day, I was returning from my office when I got a call and I had to take that call, it was from Aman.

‘Hey… I just landed in Kolkata. Where can I pick you from?’

He came to my home and drove me somewhere.

We arrived at a rooftop lounge.

The ambiance was too soothing. It faced towards a beach.

Aman ordered his favorite coffee but unfortunately, it was not available.

I asked him to come to my place. I made coffee for him and we had a good time chit-chatting with each other.

Aman gave me a diary even though he knew that I never wrote a diary.

He soon left Kolkata.

I missed him a lot in the days that followed.

A little more than I had expected it to be.

After all, he was a co-passenger.

He surprisingly sent me flowers or some small gifts that made my day.

Months passed and we had no contact with each other.

One day, I got a call; it was Aman.

He asked, ‘Can we meet today’.

I had not expected this but I had to say Okay.

We met at the same lounge.

Talked for an hour or so and then left like we never knew each other.

I never knew what happened.

I deleted his number as he said we will never meet again.

I got busy with my work.

I don’t know where and how he is today.

But, I write in the diary every day that he gifted me…

By then, it was time for me to leave.

The girl asked, ‘But…Ma’am, the story is so incomplete.’

‘Exactly, that’s what you asked me,‘ I exchanged a short smile and left.

Today, I have the same 18F window seat. I took out my earphones and was going to plug them when I heard,

‘The flight is about to take off with co-pilot Neha Verma and captain Aman Roy’.

I smiled and plugged in my earphones.

Ankita Behera

Ankita Behera is an undergraduate in a bachelor of technology. An amateur writer and a keen nature lover who loves traveling. When asked about life, she says that she is trying to manipulate the truths & realities of her life and weave meaningful stories out of them.