We were just the three of us in our cabin, when the train started to pull away from the railway station. A young man, an old man and myself. It was going to be a long journey and there was plenty of time on hand. I started to look around.
The young man and the old man appeared to be traveling together. They appeared to be working in the same office and seemed like undertaking a business trip. They had been continuously engaged in some discussion since they boarded the train.
The young man was probably an executive. A successful one may be, as his clothes suggested. However, his face showed signs of stress, frustration and uncertainty. He looked like a person in search of something, without any clue on where to find it.
The older man was calm and relaxed. He wore gold rimmed spectacles and had few grey hairs on a mostly bald-head. He appeared happy to sport a “seen all this, been through all this” look.
Their continued engagement in serious discussions, unmindful of my presence or happenings around them, got me curious. I started to overhear their conversation. Not the best of manners, but I excused myself thinking that they were not discussing any state secret. And, I could hear the young man lamenting
“I continue to feel like something is missing. There is some unexplainable emptiness about my life now. I am struggling to see the purpose behind my actions. I am caught between what I would like to do and what I am being forced to do”.
To be continued…..
VijVen 