JOSHUA
After a particularly fractious weekend trying to improve his son's academic performance, Rakesh scrambled into No 58 Local at 8-44, exactly one minute before the scheduled time. Of course there was no question of sitting when the train was choc-a-bloc by office commuters. The rush hour ordeal is something he had come to accept. And so did most of the commuters .Except for one.

He was there, as always, holding court. He could hear his booming voice.To Rakesh he was Mr 14, though he had heard others calling him Joshua. He seemed to be one of the permanent fixtures of the train, always sitting in seat no. 14, with a newspaper in his hand. How did he manage to grab the same seat every day, both in the onward and returning journey? It irked Rakesh to see him sitting relaxed in his seat everyday while his fate was to hang on to the strap one whole hour and a half before he could leave the train at East Fort. Mr 14 travelled further. God knows where he got down, Rakesh thought resentfully as he listened to Mr14 animatedly discussing the latest political issue. He addressed many of the commuters by their first names.

Rakesh knew it was an unreasonable dislike that he nurtured towards that man. His jollity won him many friends, but Rakesh refused to even smile at him. Tall, thin and grey haired with laughing eyes behind square rimmed spectacles, anyone would immediately like him. But Rakesh disliked the fact that he always grabbed the same seat, No14, both ways while he hardly got to sit

Perhaps he lived very close to the station and his office too would be next to the station.That would be incredible luck, Rakesh sighed. He had to take a ten minutes bus ride to the station and from East Fort station it was a ten minutes walk. He usually reached his office sweaty and frazzled.

Now, wouldn't he like to know how Mr 14 got to sit in the same seat every day!

The crush eased as the train stopped at School Road and he rushed to grab a seat. Today was a miracle day. And a day for revelation as it turned out.


"What a relief", a man in a red shirt who along with Rakesh had claimed a seat sighed. "Today is my lucky day, I almost everyday stand till I come to Blue Star."
Rakesh nodded.

"One minute can you look after my seat? I will get my bag from Joshua."
"Ah! Mr 14"
"Mr 14?"
"The Permanent Occupant of seat no. 14".
He laughed."Just a second".Red Shirt returned in a jiffy, as if he was afraid someone would grab his seat and put his backpack down and sat back with a sigh.


"I am dying to crack the mystery of how he gets to sit in the same seat every day." Rakesh blurted out
Red shirt smiled slightly.He lowered his voice. "There is no mystery. He reaches the station everyday at eight.Takes his breakfast at the kiosk and leisurely gets into the train. As to why he chooses no 14 I have no idea and he goes all the way up to Church Park.

"And coming back? How does he manage it
The same way. He gets in from Church Park half an hour early..

"But the train reaches Church Park Only by 12. And the return journey starts at 4 30". What kind of work does he do?"
"He does not work. He is retired."

Rakesh raised his eyebrows."But then where does he go every day"?
He takes this train every day, goes up to the last station and comes back when the train returns . 6 days a week.

Rakesh gaped."Crazy is he?".
Red shirt shrugged. "I find it odd too".
"He told you this?"

."Yes. Like you, I was also curious about him.One Sunday I happened to meet him at The mall. We had coffee together. He was alone and was in no hurry to leave. His wife died last year."
" Children in the US.?"

Red shirt nodded ."Where else?"
"But.. can't he do something else? This is such a waste of time..He can go to the US and be with his children".

"That was what I wanted to ask him, but I felt I could not ask him that. We hear enough stories about Americanised children not wanting their parents. He saw the incredulity on my face and you know what he told me? He said,"I find it painful to stay at home .You know, the hours stretch and stretch and how!".And after that I could not say anything".

"Strange", said Rakesh. "I know many widowers who have adjusted to their single state".
"So do I", Red Shirt said
"Strange",Rakesh said again
"Very", Red Shirt echoed.. "But then it is his choice. We all have compulsions to do whatever we choose to do.Others need not understand them."

Rest of the journey was spent in silence.