21st and 22nd of March, 2023.
I don’t recall exactly what time was the train. Neither I have much recollection of the night. I remember sitting in the floor; and also laying on the floor, trying to catch some sleep. Nobody comes to check the tickets.
Early morning, everybody lifts the middle beds so people can sit. That’s when I meet my little brother, Visagh. He is curious about my presence here, so we start chatting. Soon he invites me to join his family’s bench, and that’s when I meet his lovely sister, Vijina, and his mum, Raji.
Now we are travelling together and it is lovely to feel part of this family. They are all very kind and we keep chatting for the remain of our travel together.
Then, something really curious happens. I don’t remember what time was this, but I am sitting by the hall, with my back to it, facing Visagh and his family. The controller for the tickets comes. He asks for the names of the people using the beds, to what Visagh answers all their names, not mine, of course. While the controller is checking his tablet, Visagh look at me and I move my lips, without sound, saying that I don’t have a ticket. I don’t know why I haven’t told him yet. The controller leaves, without asking me my name or to each bed / seat I was designated to. What? Did I finally manage to become invisible? I don’t know what happened, really.
I have Jibby’s mobile phone and I contact him. I have the name of the station where I should get out, and where she will be waiting for me. Unfortunately, the train got delayed a lot, so it is quite late when I arrive. And I got all confused too, with the names of the stations and towns we have passed. Luckily, my bhai (brother in Hindi) Visagh, had given me his mobile number before they departed from the train, so he was helping me by calling Jibby and talking to him. Everything worked out in the end, and when I get out of the train, I meet Jibby.
Little I knew that a wonderful adventure in Kerala was about to start.
10 Years Around the World 