A Glass of Old Wine & A Few Grey Hair

I was at the Mumbai Airport, just checked in my luggage and reading the book I had planned to complete for quite some time now. The flight was almost four hours from now. It had been quite some time since I had traveled anywhere at all for a vacation. All I do nowadays is work & worry about my teenage daughter. I finally had some time of my own once she left for college, but I was all lost did not know what to do now. I gathered a lot of courage and booked my tickets for a Euro Trip alone without any work tagged alone.

As the PA announced the flight my thoughts were shattered and I realized that its already time to board the flight. I did not realize how the time went by. While I was at the gate I heard a voice which was very familiar and known. I turned back and to my surprise I wasn't wrong. A man I had not seen in the past two decades staying in the same city was flying on the same flight. He had greyed a bit barring that he looked the same. I did not know if he would recognize me or not so I quickly looked away. There was a tap on my shoulder and I knew it was him. I turned back and there was the smile I hadn't seen for such a long time. Like he was always he said "Why are you blocking the queue?", I was suddenly embarrassed and couldn't speak, I moved quickly and went to my seat. Today something was seriously wrong as he came and sat next to me. He started talking like there was like we met everyday, I still couldn't talk, it was like a dream where I was lost. We talked for some time and he suddenly came up with another curt comment "You know your hair is all grey, you look much older now" I laughed this time at his words. It had been almost a full two decades, I was supposed to be older. Time had definitely taken away the best of years from me. 

We talked and talked and when the hostess came to us we both said unanimously "Wine Please". As the wine kept coming we opened up new Pandora's box everytime. I had almost forgotten my life for the last so many years, I traveled back in time. The days when we were still young and could spend all our money drinking but still we could have more. I asked him if he knew about the new places which came up at our old joints, the old charm of sitting at the cheap janta bars could never be the same with the new fancy restaurant there. The chai at 4 in the morning after the long jamming sessions at night was the tastiest at the tapri near our college hostel. I had missed those things so much.

It had been almost nine hours now and the cabin crew started preparing for landing at Paris, there was an awkward silence now. The flight landed and we took our luggage hugged each other and bid adieu, till the next time. We did not have each other's number nor we knew what either of us were today, together we were still those 20 somethings. I had the best vacation ever with the best wine I ever had.