The Dublin Connection

I woke up at 7.30 am. The alarm was supposed to go off at 8.45 am. But I couldn’t wait till then. I woke up about 5 times in sleep. Maybe I didn’t want the morning to arrive. I wasn’t fascinated by Dublin earlier. But on the day of leaving, I realized there was some affection that grew for the city. I now love Dublin, even though it isn’t mine, the way something has to be, a street, a house, something that belongs to me because I belong to it.

I couldn’t sleep, so I woke up. Time was passing even though I wanted it to stop. I took a shower, for 45 mins, thinking about life. I got ready and went to the café downstairs to have my last breakfast in Dublin. I packed my bags, put on my jacket and stood near the door. But I didn’t want to leave. I stared at the door for about 5 seconds before stepping out.

Why was this happening? Two days ago I was thinking of leaving early, but today, I feel I should stay more. Maybe because I am alone. Ive been traveling alone for about two weeks now and whenever I have to leave a city for another, I get this exact feeling. A feeling of hollowness, sadness. But for Dublin, it just wasn’t this. It was for her, too. Id like to refer to her as a friend (now that we’ve had coffee and a nice conversation). We studied together in high school. But never spoke. We never interacted on social media too (I know that’s hard to believe). And we met each other after 9 years, better to say, we saw each other after 9 years. Long story short, we met up for a cup of coffee. I’ll write the detailed story later.

It’s awkward when two people who haven’t spoken to each other ever, meet for the first time. But not here. We were pretty comfortable. Although I was a bit nervous. I’m like that. Id get nervous even if I am meeting someone for second or third time. Maybe the pre meeting Facebook chat helped to reduce the awkwardness. We decided to meet at the Spire. It is an iconic structure in the city of Dublin. A high pole, nothing else. But its iconic. We both reached there at 5 pm. As I crossed the street to stand under the Spire, I saw her walking. 

Earphones tucked in and a bag on the shoulder.

Hey, I walked up to her and said.

She looked towards me and smiled. Hey, she replied. She put out her hand to shake mine. My hands were buried in the pockets of my jacket. Took me about 2 seconds to get them out. I finally shook her hands.

Not much eye contact. Maybe the nervousness torrents in me were acting up.

Kuthe jauya apan? I asked her. I spoke in Marathi. I don’t know why but I did. We were in a foreign country, and I guess it made a certain connection, to talk in our mother tongue.

O’briens, ithe javalach ahe, she said leading the way.

We walked to the café and got our drinks. She didn’t let me pay. I wanted to, but she didn’t let me. We took seats. And the conversation started. We spoke about high school, jobs, Ireland, India, family etc. Time was flying. We also discussed about writing. I had told her about my blog and books and she wanted to see a few pieces. Apparently, she liked reading my blog.

Kaahik sentences like “she hit the reset button” mala avadle, she said as she kept reading.

I just smiled to myself.

I looked at her. Her eyes – gray and sharp. They could kill. Her long and lovely face complimented her height. Her name, Surashree, which means divine beauty, couldn’t have been more apt. She did make me nostalgic a bit. I mean it was 9 years back when I had last seen her.  And that was in high school. So, the only memory I had of her was high school.

We had our coffee and talked more. I hardly speak to anyone so openly. And whoever opens up to me, I automatically feel connected towards them. We sat there till the shopping centre janitor came to us and told that they are closing. It was 7 pm! In Mumbai, we start things at 7 pm. Dublin, what a pity!

So, we packed and left the shopping centre. I wanted to buy some chocolates. So she suggested a visit to Lidl. We headed towards Lidl, which was just a 5 minute walk. There weren’t much options there, so I just picked up 2 packs of whiskey chocolates. It was now time to say goodbye. We walked out of the store, looked at each other and said “Nice to meet you”.

Let me take a photo, I said. And I clicked a pic of us.

Selfie mazya phone madhe ghete, she said and took out her phone. I was looking at the screen instead of looking at the camera.

Camera kade bagh, she directed me. I did.

She took a few pics.

You have to go this way, she directed me toward my hostel. We shook hands and hugged.

Goodbye and good luck with your job search, I said.

Thanks, she replied. Keep in touch.

We walked in opposite directions.

As I walked back to my hostel, I thought of the 9 years. We studied together, but never spoke. We both lived in Pune at one of time, but never met. We met here in Ireland, thousands of miles away from home. It was funny, but I was glad we met. And I hoped she was too.

During this trip, I am away from my family and friends. Sometimes I feel alone. Mostly when I am not around people. I felt this in Dublin. But she changed it. Dublin was just a city for me. But now, it’s a place where Surashree lives. Talking about high school, jobs and some common situations we both faced, helped us to relate to each other. She understood my position because she was going through similar circumstances.

We think we could be happy alone. But out heart constantly craves for attention. I always though I’d be better off alone. But whenever someone shows tiniest but of affection towards me, I feel connected. After traveling for so long alone, this was the moment. I realized, the reason I didn’t want to leave Dublin was this. In a foreign country with no known people, I met her. That connection eventually made me realize why I felt connected to Dublin.

Not everything is in our hands. So, I headed out from my hostel and towards the airport. I walked past security without a problem. I don’t know why but I always feel I will be questioned. I waited at the departure gate to board my flight. I bought orange juice, I just can’t resist orange juice. I love it.

As the plane pushed back, I suddenly touched reality. I was leaving Dublin. And I had no idea if I would ever come back. The city was going away and I couldn’t hold on to it. Maybe that’s what life is. You have something. But when its time, you have to let go of it. I didn’t want to let go, but I had no option really. As my plane pushed away from the surface, the city started disappearing under the white Irish clouds. I could feel heaviness in my heart. I felt hollow and heavy at the same time. The land below me disappeared as I searched for last glimpse of the city. Eventually, I was above a thick layer of clouds. That was it. I had left Dublin behind. But it will have a special place in my heart. Dublin – the city of Liffey, the city of Guinness & the city of Surashree.