Pinky goes Pink !

Pinky was too tired even to open her eyes. Wrapped in a soft pink towel, Pinky lay comfortably in her mom’s lap. Sumi and Aditya, the young parents of Pinky were on their way back home after their successful holiday at Munnar. They say the holiday was successful because they executed the plan against many odds. Pinky’s grandparents were strictly against this holiday trip keeping in mind Pinky’s age as she was hardly 9 months old. But Sumi and Aditya badly needed this break. Sumi had abandoned her job owing to Pinky’s birth. So it has been more than a year now since she really had exposure to the outside world. Aditya, the young Gentleman cadet has jus passed out of the Officer’s Training Academy (OTA), Dehradun which trains Army Captains. Captain Aditya was one of the most charming officers at OTA. No one believed that he was married when he proudly announced his team about Pinky’s birth. Aditya and Sumi were too quick to tie the knot at a very early age. Aditya will turn 25 when Pinky celebrates her first birthday. Young father, young mother, cheerful grandparents, and lovable friends around. Pinky is indeed lucky to be born in such an environment.

Aditya and Sumi had just boarded the Train to Chennai. While Sumi was extremely cautious not to disturb Pinky, Aditya was quick enough to put up the luggage so that Sumi and Pinky were comfortable. The Train was about to start in another 5 minutes. Sumi wanted to have the magazine that was on display in the bookstall at the station. The stall was at the other side of the platform. Keeping in mind that Sumi will get bored after a while, Aditya decided to have a quick run to the stall to get her the magazine. Sumi half heartedly nodded when Aditya said he was getting down to get the magazine. It was early evening and the platform lights were being switched on. The Lights inside the train too went ON. This sudden change in lighting and the dampness inside the A/C coach had disturbed Pinky’s sleep. She started becoming restless as the train started moving with a jerk. Sumi had no clue as why Aditya is still not aboard even after the train had started moving. She grew tensed and started to panic as she could not find Aditya around. The train was nearly out of the station and it was picking up its speed. Pinky suddenly started crying. Tears rolled down quickly. It was not just Pinky who was crying, Sumi also. Being a smart and matured girl, Sumi gathered enough strength in her voice to quickly alert the co-passengers that her husband had not boarded the train. The TTE was approached for help but then he had no other option except to console Sumi with cool words that he would contact the Station master once the train reached the next station. As a TTE that was the maximum he could do. Sumi was terribly disappointed with herself for having let Aditya go for the book at the last moment. But still she knew Aditya will certainly reach her soon. Just the uncertainty of when and how Aditya will make up to Sumi and Pinky was hindering her mind.

Aditya had missed the train. Though he was quick on his foot in getting the book, the landed up in a different platform while getting back. He reached the wrong platform just to find that his train was pulling out of the station from the other side. Aditya was unhappy with himself for having done such a blunder of missing the train. But without wasting much time he becalmed himself looking for ways to catch the train. When he was about to approach the station master for help, he met a lady in on the platform of his train. The lady wore a familiar look. Aditya identified the lady as a railway employee with her ID card. With the feel that he had met her already somewhere, he approached the lady for help. Call it luck or blessing, the lady happened to be a senior officer who had the power to stop the train under emergency situations. Keeping in mind the fact that the train had left the station and that Aditya had narrated his displeasure of missing his wife and little kid, the lady without any hesitation pulled out her wireless instrument and commanded some orders. The train halted. Sumi and the other passengers in the train were surprised to see that the train stopped just for Aditya to get in. Thankfully waving bye to the lady in the station, Aditya moved inside the coach to comfort Sumi. The train started again with a jerk and as expected Pinky stared crying again. Aditya, Sumi and other passengers were engaged in attending to Pinky, forgetting all the confusion behind. Next morning Pinky was cheerfully playing with her little dolly as Aditya and Sumi romanced with their eyes smiling and faces blooming with the shock of yesterday’s ordeal running at the back of their mind.