Friday...Part 2
I almost thought Part 2 wasn't gonna happen. But I just had to come back to write about this. It's something which I witnessed on the way back from University (still last Friday, March 3rd). But let me begin in my usual storytelling way.
I finished with the second exam at around 4. I got my things, threw my jacket on and left feeling half dejected and half relieved. I saw Alain standing near the cafeteria talking to someone on the cellphone. Turned out that Ali, who was supposed to give him a ride back home, had completely forgotten about that and left. Alain was pissed. Really pissed. Looking around for Ali and calling him had made him lose precious minutes, and the UTM Shuttle Bus going downtown had left too. He didn't say much, but his expression said it all. His next bus was in half an hour, and since mine was around the same time, I offered to give him company. Well, actually I was quite fortunate to have his company. Otherwise it would have been the usual- me and my discman, out in the cold (I don't like sitting alone in crowded indoor places; I'm weird ain't I?).
Well anyways we talked about the test, Sergio Leone and "The Man with No Name", $ 9 DVDs at the Rogers store in which he worked, taking driving lessons, and the awful bitch that the weather was that day. I think it was around -10 or -13 that day, and I was freezing with 3 layers+Jacket on!!! My bus came before his, so I left in a hurry.
Once on the bus, it was me and my music. I had some old Metallica/Megadeth in my discman. I scanned the disc, and finally settled on Metallica's 1991 "Black Album"....aah good days were back again. As Ulrich started beating the hell out of the drums on "Sad But True", I sat back to enjoy the 20 minute ride back home.
I have this habit of leaning against the window, head resting against it, staring blankly outside. I might look dead, but I am not. I'm constantly visualizing, taking in images at random, from the past and the immediate present; making a sort of instant, mental "Video" of the song I'm listening to. Always putting images into the context of the song playing; I think I could be a good Music Video director if I got the chance...
Getting to the incident, I don't mean to be over-dramatic. But what I'll state below is exactly what happened. Not something significant, you might argue; but you are entitled to your opinion as I'm entitled to mine.
We were about halfway home, when the bus suddenly started to slow down. At first I didn't notice. I thought it was just another light. But it didn't come to a complete halt; instead continued to move slowly forward. Then I focused on the road outside. Lying on the sidewalk, face down, with his arms and legs sprawled about was a middle-aged man (or so it looked from the distance). A woman was trying to revive him, while another man was talking on a cellphone (probabaly 911). This was all happening beside a parked car.
Now, either of 2 things might have happened. The man may have had some kind of seizure while in the car. Or he might have been hit by the car, and collapsed. There was no sign of blood anywhere, but I couldn't tell for sure that it wasn't an accident.
The bus slowly made its way around the vehicle, and continued on its way. As I looked back, the woman was still trying to revive the man, and the other man was still on the phone. I think I caught about 10-15 seconds overall. As the bus moved away, I turned my face, closed my eyes, and hoped that all would be well, whoever he was. My hand hit my discman-remote and the song stopped abruptly...
Then it hit me. I wondered what it would be like if life stopped just as abruptly as the song I'd been listening to. I wondered whether life had stopped abruptly for that man lying on the sidewalk. I wondered what would happen if it happened to me. I wondered. The bus moved under an overhead bridge, and we were plunged into darkness for a couple of seconds. But soon there was light. I wondered, what if one day there was no light on the other side? All there was left was darkness?
As I pressed play, "Unforgiven" resumed and the exact words were
"What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been"
I wondered. What if I never saw what might have been...
I finished with the second exam at around 4. I got my things, threw my jacket on and left feeling half dejected and half relieved. I saw Alain standing near the cafeteria talking to someone on the cellphone. Turned out that Ali, who was supposed to give him a ride back home, had completely forgotten about that and left. Alain was pissed. Really pissed. Looking around for Ali and calling him had made him lose precious minutes, and the UTM Shuttle Bus going downtown had left too. He didn't say much, but his expression said it all. His next bus was in half an hour, and since mine was around the same time, I offered to give him company. Well, actually I was quite fortunate to have his company. Otherwise it would have been the usual- me and my discman, out in the cold (I don't like sitting alone in crowded indoor places; I'm weird ain't I?).
Well anyways we talked about the test, Sergio Leone and "The Man with No Name", $ 9 DVDs at the Rogers store in which he worked, taking driving lessons, and the awful bitch that the weather was that day. I think it was around -10 or -13 that day, and I was freezing with 3 layers+Jacket on!!! My bus came before his, so I left in a hurry.
Once on the bus, it was me and my music. I had some old Metallica/Megadeth in my discman. I scanned the disc, and finally settled on Metallica's 1991 "Black Album"....aah good days were back again. As Ulrich started beating the hell out of the drums on "Sad But True", I sat back to enjoy the 20 minute ride back home.
I have this habit of leaning against the window, head resting against it, staring blankly outside. I might look dead, but I am not. I'm constantly visualizing, taking in images at random, from the past and the immediate present; making a sort of instant, mental "Video" of the song I'm listening to. Always putting images into the context of the song playing; I think I could be a good Music Video director if I got the chance...
Getting to the incident, I don't mean to be over-dramatic. But what I'll state below is exactly what happened. Not something significant, you might argue; but you are entitled to your opinion as I'm entitled to mine.
We were about halfway home, when the bus suddenly started to slow down. At first I didn't notice. I thought it was just another light. But it didn't come to a complete halt; instead continued to move slowly forward. Then I focused on the road outside. Lying on the sidewalk, face down, with his arms and legs sprawled about was a middle-aged man (or so it looked from the distance). A woman was trying to revive him, while another man was talking on a cellphone (probabaly 911). This was all happening beside a parked car.
Now, either of 2 things might have happened. The man may have had some kind of seizure while in the car. Or he might have been hit by the car, and collapsed. There was no sign of blood anywhere, but I couldn't tell for sure that it wasn't an accident.
The bus slowly made its way around the vehicle, and continued on its way. As I looked back, the woman was still trying to revive the man, and the other man was still on the phone. I think I caught about 10-15 seconds overall. As the bus moved away, I turned my face, closed my eyes, and hoped that all would be well, whoever he was. My hand hit my discman-remote and the song stopped abruptly...
Then it hit me. I wondered what it would be like if life stopped just as abruptly as the song I'd been listening to. I wondered whether life had stopped abruptly for that man lying on the sidewalk. I wondered what would happen if it happened to me. I wondered. The bus moved under an overhead bridge, and we were plunged into darkness for a couple of seconds. But soon there was light. I wondered, what if one day there was no light on the other side? All there was left was darkness?
As I pressed play, "Unforgiven" resumed and the exact words were
"What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been"
I wondered. What if I never saw what might have been...
posted by Dibesh Saha at 4:28 AM
3 Comments:
Thanku thanku!
:)
Dibesh,
That one really made me think..
Very nicely written..
Just checked I have a lot to catch up on your blog!! :)
Keep writing!
Nirwa
Hey Nirwa,
Thanks! Appreciate the comments.
:)
Dibesh
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