Irony

A Story by MANIPADMA

Life couldn’t have been more beautiful.
Smooth road, fast car, and wind on my face... I smiled contentedly as I looked ahead with expectations. A train chugged along to my left. I glanced at it lazily and then I saw her. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second ,maybe. Tired eyes, vacant stare, shrunken face. Defeated? Exhausted? I wondered before I looked away in disdain or was it indifference? Parallel worlds. They will never meet. We will never…

But our worlds did meet. Not only did they meet, but intersected too, and in a cruel twist of fate I found myself on the same train, with tired eyes, vacant stare, shrunken face. Defeated. Exhausted. And then I saw her to my right. She was looking ahead, smiling contentedly. Smooth road, fast car, and wind on her face. To my horror, she turned slowly to look my way. Our eyes met. There was no disdain or indifference in her eyes, only an understanding and a prayer for me.
I looked away just as I had, that day, when we saw each other for the first time. I had looked away, back then with disdain and distaste. I looked away again but today with shame.