Note: I have posted the similar diary around 2 years before, with different Heading and as a different user, which I deleted afterwards.

It was August; I boarded the train back to Mumbai from Nagpur, after a short vacation at home, thanks to consecutive 2-3 holidays. I was feeling a bit dull, as I was leaving my home. I took my seat, which was adjacent to window, after arranging my luggage I gave a look in my compartment, which was sparsely occupied, I moved my sight towards window. The atmosphere was glum, I looked at the sky touching my cheek to glass of the window, it was cloudy, and I started feeling even more low. I was stiall staring at the sky, when I realised, my train started moving. I slowly (and of course lowly) moved my sight back in the compartment, which was fully occupied by now, I started looking at the faces, starting from the one right in front of my seat; a girl, pretty good looking, also of the my age (of course, I started feeling better); next, a middle aged lady; next a 7-8 yr old kid; next, a man.......; hold on, I looked back at the girl, the face looked familiar, my sight got glued to her face, 'do I know this face??'. after few moments, she started feeling uncomfortable and started looking here and there, I got back to my senses and moved my sight out of the window.

I was still thinking,where have I seen this face, and it suddenly struck me, 'she is Maithili", my classmate in school. I looked back at her, and was just about to open the conversation, but stopped and looked away, as an idea crossed my mind. I thought of having some fun, she hadn't recognised me, mostly because, I had put on some weight compared to the 'thinny me' in school days and I had become quite muscular, also my spectacles were gone.

After few minutes I looked back at her, with the look of a stranger, and said, "Hi!". She hi'ed back. After a small pause, I said, "Going to Mumbai?", she answered in affirmative, we started talking moreand after some time, we were chatting comfortably; about work, Mumbai and like; I asked her name in the process and told my name as Ajay, instead of real one, Mukund. After a while, I opened the subject of school, to have some real fun. But as soon as I mentioned the high school, her face felt down, she looked outside, away from me. I felt confused, 'what's with the high school days', I asked for her attention, and asked, "what's the matter?" She excused herself for going to Lou. When she came back after good 5-6 minutes, her face was still glum. I had become totally confused and little worried too, but I had to know, what had happened during school days; I felt it better to leave her alone for some time and put my face into the magazine. After 15 minutes or so, I reopened the conversation, and asked what's the matter, this time, she looked much better, and reluctantly said, "well, its not about the entire high-school days, but the last day of high-school", I got more confused and curious, she continued, "I had a great thick, shiny and long hairs at that time, when I returned back from the last day of my school, I found that, there was a big ugly chewing-gum in my hairs, it was so badly stuck up that, I had to cut my long hairs to the one like boys have, I felt so bad those days, I could not go out whole my vacations, as I was so fond of my hairs, and felt even more bad when I saw my mom's and sisters long hairs". I hesitantly asked her, who did that, and the name I heard, gave me a big shock, it was mine, she said, "My friends told me later, that boy did that for some stupid bet with his friends." I was completely fainted by that time, I somehow controlled my expressions ,and said, "I am really sorry to hear that", and excused myself to toilet."

I opened the door of Lou and entered, all the memories started hitting me, as if they were waiting for me in the Lou. I recollected the last day of school, the bet with my friends, to put the chewing-gum on Maithili's shirt, which I put during exams, as she was sitting just ahead of me. But, I never imagined that, that chewing-gum will go on to stick in her hairs and all that will happen.

I came back to my seat, and hid my face in the magazine, as the time for dinner came, Maithili asked me if we can eat our tiffins. Again I excused myself, saying I don't have any apetite, and I will go to sleep. I exchanged my lower birth with one old man's upper birth, and climbed to it. I noticed all the lights in coach getting switched off gradually. Maithili didn't say me good night as I was closing my eyes and was pretending to be fallen asleep. I was thinking, should I reveal my identity to Maithili and tell her that it was me, but decided against it, and thought I would call her tomorrow after reaching Mumbai and apologise her.

Contd. in comments.....