Traveling in a jam-packed local bus to college, hanging on the footboard always gave me the thrills. The adventure excited me not for of the element of risk, but the beautiful girls aboard the bus who made my journey eventful.

I still remember the first day that I cribbed for having to travel by bus to college. Life seemed miserable and tough. My neatly pressed shirt was in shambles in less than a few minutes. Before I even knew, someone was on my leg. I cried in pain, only to be abused by my co-passengers. It was a world of equals where surviving the stink was a task by itself. Early in the morning you would only get to see frowning faces fighting for a seat they claimed to own.

Amidst this mayhem, I stood lost, gazing at the rooftop when my eyes caught a beautiful and thin watch strapped arm holding on to the bus bar. The arm was thin, slim and white as snow. I closely observed to realize that it was a ladies watch that adorned the arm. It was a “ SHE “! I cried in joy.

Soon I heard a co-passenger wilt in pain, I was on his feet trying to catch a glimpse of this beauty. I prodded my way from the footboard into the bus. With every little move towards those beautiful arms, my heart seemed to skip a beat. In a moment I was brimming with energy, the stink didn’t matter any more.

I stood amidst the mad crowd admiring “A Woman’s Arm! “. God alone knew how young or old, smart or dull she was. All I knew was that I was deeply engaged in admiring the beauty of life. As I made my way, I found the beautiful arm moving away from me, disappearing amidst dark, rough and hairy arms. She was making her way to the door and I was right in the midst. I pushed my way back only to be hit by a co-passenger.

As she alighted, I was still amidst the maddening crowd. In a desperate attempt I struck my head out of the window like a porcupine. All I saw was the lush curly hair that dropped down the shoulders, as she walked away into the crowd leaving me dreaming of her elusive face.

As I got off the bus after an absorbing journey, I found myself before a monumental dark stone building that had stood the test of times. A heritage site in the heart of the city. Before me was a sea of humanity. The big board that hung sloppily over the tarnished roof read ST. Josephs PU College. Not a single girl in sight. I could only dream of the lush curly hair as I stepped into this Only Male domain that later turned out to be my second home for the next two years.

The thin, slim and white arm with lush curly hair that dropped down the shoulders was only the beginning of my tryst with girls… Life is not always dull at a boys college …and a man  seldom survives without a woman…more to come in the days ahead.

End – Chapter 1

(P.S – I intend to bring in forth lighter side of life through this piece of fiction called “The Teenager “. The teenager would be a compilation of Chapters (like any book) that would be published in my blog in the days ahead. The section titled – Storyboard)