Some years back, I met a guy at a party. He and I were covering the same event. We found we had a lot in common. At that times, India had not discovered mobile phones.We did not get a chance to exchange phone numbers. The next day, I was thinking about him and someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned and it was the same guy. He wanted to talk to me. I was getting ready to go out when my boss called me for an urgent meeting. He had left by the time the meeting got over. What if my boss had not called on that day?

‘Because of you we will miss the train! If we miss the train, you will be in big trouble, said Kusum looking at her daughter-in-law Sumati. They had gone to the shrine of Vaishno Devi. Kusum and her son Ramlal had reached Sanjhi Chat before Sumati and her friends. Now, they were on their way to the train station where they had to take the train to Delhi. Sumati was worried. It was a hilly terrain and the driver had said it would take two hours to reach the train station. Her husband Ramlal looked daggers at her. Sumati looked at her friends Rita and Sharbati. They were worried for her. Sumati prayed hard. They reached the station at 5:45 pm. ‘The train would have left by now,’ said Ramlal. He asked a porter passing by. ‘Has the train to Delhi left?’ ‘No sir,’ the porter replied. ‘It will leave in ten minutes.’ Sumati closed her eyes and said, ‘thank you!’