One monsoon morning, all the trains had been delayed due to the heavy downpour and I was stranded at the station. As I made my way along the platform, trying to find a place to sit and wait for my train, I saw him sitting in his usual place. Since my curiosity was piqued and I had nothing better to wile away my time with, I made my way over to sit beside him.
"May I ask you something Sir?", I said
"What is it?", he asked
"Why do you wait here everyday?"
"I am waiting for my son."
"Pardon my intrusion into your personal matters , but shouldn't you ask him exactly when he is coming instead of waiting here every single day?"
"He will come I'm sure! I just don't know when!", he snapped and started frantically mumbling to himself incomprehensibly after that.
Startled, I looked around, not knowing what I had done to cause him distress like that. I noticed the vendor looking at me and when I saw him, he beckoned me.
"Do not ask him about his son, sir! It is a very touchy topic!", he said
"Why? What happened?", I asked him
"I know because I have a shop on the street where the man lives sir! You see..."
I listened with grave attention as he proceeded to tell me the old man's story.
The old man was a widower and had a son whom he cherished a lot. During his son's childhood, the train rides from platform 10 were the favourite pass-times of the father-son duo. Trains from almost every major city would stop at platform 10 and the old man and his son loved travelling on these with randomly bought tickets, just to see what sort of place they would land up in.
After his son grew up, he moved out to live on his own and these train rides became less frequent as did the time they spent together. The son fell in love and started having even lesser contact with his father. The hurt old man, showed it in anger and cut all ties with his son when he and his better half came to seek his blessings. The old man ceased to have any contact with his son and drowned himself in his self-created misery. Years went by and the son was the one who took the first step to reconcile. The old man was also tired of his anger and hurt by now and he missed his son. They decided to meet on the same platform 10 that held so many of their memories together, next to their street vendor's stand.
After his son grew up, he moved out to live on his own and these train rides became less frequent as did the time they spent together. The son fell in love and started having even lesser contact with his father. The hurt old man, showed it in anger and cut all ties with his son when he and his better half came to seek his blessings. The old man ceased to have any contact with his son and drowned himself in his self-created misery. Years went by and the son was the one who took the first step to reconcile. The old man was also tired of his anger and hurt by now and he missed his son. They decided to meet on the same platform 10 that held so many of their memories together, next to their street vendor's stand.
Alas! The young man never did make it home. He met with a tragic accident that caused his whole family to perish, leaving his father all alone without even reconciling. The poor old man refused to believe that his son was dead and still sought to meet him and renew old bonds. Hence, he waited tirelessly, from dawn to dusk, hoping that his son was aboard one of those trains!
I felt moisture clouding my eyes as I heard his sorrowful tale. I wished there was something I could do, but I realized that nobody could do anything for him until he forgave himself; for, who could bring back the dead? After hearing his story, I took out my phone and called my parents to whom I hadn't spoken in a while, as I waited for my train to arrive...
