In July 2023, we decided to go to Nainital with my elder sister and her husband. After discussing, we booked train tickets from Lucknow for July 4th. Since I was living in Kanpur, I arrived in Lucknow the day before, and our train was at 6 a.m. from Lucknow to Nainital.
We packed our bags with food, clothes, and other essentials. I reached Lucknow station by 5 a.m., and with an hour left for the train, we sat down and started using our phones while observing the station. The crowd was huge, and it made me realize how many people were here to travel to different destinations. There were people from all walks of life—rich, poor, and from every class.
Among the crowd, I noticed an uncle and aunt, probably around 55 years old. They looked like they were still young at heart, and their love for each other was heartwarming. I couldn't help but stare at them, and when our eyes met, the uncle smiled, and I smiled back. After a while, he asked me in a firm voice, "Where are you going?" I replied, "I'm going to Nainital with my elder sister and her husband." I then asked, "Where are you going?" He answered, "I'm going home, to Nainital." The uncle asked, "Are you going to Nainital for sightseeing?" I said, "Yes, I'm going for sightseeing." I asked, "Is your home in Nainital? You must be seeing the mountains and lakes every day; the views there are beautiful." The uncle replied, "I'm going home after 12 years."
I was silent for a moment, thinking, "12 years without going home..."
Soon, the train arrived, and we gathered our things, left the waiting room, and boarded the train. We placed our luggage and I sat in the upper berth, while I made my sister and her husband sit on the lower berth. I was lost in thought, thinking about the uncle’s words—how he hadn’t been home for 12 years. It made me feel uneasy.
After about an hour, I got off my seat and went to the train aisle near the door. I looked around and saw that the uncle was seated in the next compartment. I went over to his seat, and he asked, "Where's your seat?" I told him, "My seat is in the other compartment behind." He invited me to sit with him, saying, "Come, sit here." I wasn't sure how to start a conversation, but before I could say anything, he asked, "What’s your name, and what do you do?" I told him my name and what job I did. This gave me a chance to ask him a question. I asked, "Uncle, why haven’t you gone home for 12 years?" He smiled and said, "Responsibilities kept me from going home." I asked again, "What responsibilities are you talking about?" He replied, "I served in the Indian Army for 20 years. We built a big house in Nainital for our son, turning a small house into a palace." I quietly listened to his story. Then he said, "Now, after all these years, we are going back to where our life began." I asked, "And your son?" He replied angrily, "He went to America with his wife and left us forever. He got married six years ago and moved there."
By now, I understood the uncle’s entire story. Just then, the aunt gave me some salty snacks and said, "Here, have some." The uncle said, "My wife made them herself." I laughed at that. Just then, my sister called and asked, "Where are you?" I said, "I’ll be there in two minutes."
I said goodbye to the uncle and aunt, took his contact number, and said, "Okay, uncle, we’ll meet again."
I returned to my seat, and the 7-hour journey flew by. Before I knew it, we had reached Nainital. We got a driver from the station and went to our hotel. The natural beauty of Nainital—the tall mountains, the cool breeze, and the forests—made me feel like I wanted to stay there forever.
We reached the hotel, shifted our bags, had dinner, and since we were tired from the long journey, we went to sleep. The next morning, we went out for sightseeing.
And that was the end of our story.
Nice story, inspire, very good
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