A Fuelly smell filled his nostrils as he pushed the starter. Largely due to the confined airless space in the parking lot and also due to fact that many other two wheelers had simultaneously started their ignitions, the combined smell of petrol and freshly burnt engine oil suddenly reeked the air. This was certainly unlike the pure soothing smell of petrol that he simply loved at other better times.

Having quickly come out of the train crowd to find his way to his bike parked away somewhere in that crowded jamboree of some hundred odd two wheelers was essentially an everyday and a not-so-welcome adventure that he had to pass through. Tired as he was, his face showed clear signs of resignation. Struggling to push aside an incredibly heavy bike which was parked exactly in front of his own, he sighed; unable to find the side stand to it. Finding the broken stand, painstakingly tied to the bike chassis was the last thing that he needed after that herculean task of pushing the huge vehicle off its main stand. He looked along to find someone equally heavy to do the task for him.

Surprisingly enough, every other person was going along in the row of two wheelers far away from him only to quickly inch away themselves towards the parking exit. His own bike seemed to be looking haplessly towards its equally hapless owner – but it was hardly anything ‘she’ could do presently. The parking owner was indeed in his own peaceful world – trying to close in on his share of the day’s work – where one would sit back and collect revenue – that’s it. The mornings wouldn’t be peaceful for him in the least  – especially where people expected him to be at his protagonist best – boarding a train on time was a far exciting idea in the morning than looking as to where exactly the bike was being parked and how!!!

The evening on the other hand was ‘his’ time. He merely sat there and simply carried on his chore – as pretentiously as ever – as if all was well in the world. The horde of people returning from their daily business was by-and-large, none of his business. The amount of freshness on his face was mostly a sum product of the cash flowing in his drawer in the form of ten rupee notes and some coins as well as the sheer haste of the passengers to quickly find their way out of this place. His assistant must have felt the predicament of the young man struggling to find a stable place to park the heavy machine which now was resting peacefully in his hands. The assistant seemed to sense something and quickly darted forward to help. A grateful smile which although looked forcefully brought to flash across his face; seeped in his otherwise troubled face as the lean assistant somehow garnered the strength required to pull the vehicle on its main stand.

Satisfied, the assistant displayed a fresh smile similar to his owner with hardly any sign of discomfort and started towards the exit. Just as he did, the young man’s gaze shifted to the owner of another moped who seemed to have developed a similar issue with her bike. The assistant seemed a tad eager to go towards her. Taking his act for a cue – the moped lady chirped something about helping her. The young man quickly forgot about his own predicament and darted towards her. He quickly jumped to the spot where she was fidgeting with the bickering footrest of the nearby two wheeler. Smartly, he pulled the bike next to her towards his body indicating her to pull herself out with her own bike. Her lips parted to give away a muted expression of gratitude as she quietly broke free of the shackles that bound her. The radiant smile somehow still reminded him of the same face he seemed to have seen in the morning – the exact same face who had given him a solemn expression – that same morning.

Wondering how her joy and melancholy would be the other way round from morn till evening, he came back to his senses and gently lowered the bike which he was still holding close to his body. Striding quickly to his own bike he managed to pull it out from amongst other similarly standing bikes. Exiting the parking, he wanted to ask that young woman about her recent show of emotions.

He somehow noticed two pairs of eyes staring at him as he gently eased off the gear to speed away. Sensing something strangely amiss, he stopped in his tracks only to find the same young woman standing on the farther side of the road gazing at him as if wanting to say a few words. He waved gently to ask her if everything was alright to which she smiled daintily. Easing his bike on the side stand, he approached her and voiced his question. She simply smiled and said –

“In the morning, not solemnity, but a serene calm is what I crave. With the day ahead of me full of surprises, I prefer to welcome it with a neutral or more of an indifferent grace. But in the evening, when it is sure to come to an end I have every reason to be plainly happy about it. This is exactly antithetical to the attitude of the parking owner – his plainly helpful countenance in the morning seeking a good day and an equally indifferent stance in the evening when he knows how it went, is quite indicating.”

He was suddenly jerked to reality with another young lady standing beside him shaking him to his senses. “What happened to you?”

“There was a girl here….”

“No wonder you take so much time everyday to take out just one bike from this wretched place,” said my friend, “And I am kept waiting for some precious minutes.” She said with the usual characteristic boredom plainly visible on her face and in her voice.

He smiled energetically to which she retorted, “What is so funny, me getting bored and you are smiling?”

“Smiling because I was lost and because you were waiting out their patiently and found me.” He replied with some grace, “Smiling because there are some people who want to be found but only so in your dreams…………………”