No Love for the Colonel

     The walk from the railway station platform to the cab appeared the longest the colonel had ever walked in his life.

     The train journey had passed very quickly, having covered the distance from the military station to New Delhi in a matter of few hours. The Colonel had been granted premature retirement . His thoughts reflected upon the events of last couple of hours before he boarded the train to his home finally.

     He stood at attention saluting the regiment flag, the last time he would be doing so, while wearing a uniform. 21 years ago he had first saluted this very flag, as a young subaltern, newly posted to his tank unit . Seemed like a long time ago.

     At the military station he had calmly waited to board the train back. He had strictly ordered for no one to see him off. Except for his Jeep driver, Dafedar Mohan and his buddy, Sowar Mahesh, no one else was there. Together the three sipped the tea , warm from the thermos flask, having been prepared by the officers mess staff. A few biscuits were offered along with cheese sandwiches, which the Colonel gratefully ate, sharing with the men.

     "Sir, the men will miss you", Dafedar Mohan addressed the Lt Colonel.

     Lt Colonel Jack looked away, his eyes betrayed no emotions, but inwards he felt the deep sadness at leaving his family of 21 long years. This had been his only home, a place where he was loved, and loved back ten fold the brave men and officers of his Tank Regiment.

     But what had to be done, had to be done. His decision had been final. The old General, his father had been seriously ill last few years and chances of his surviving this year seemed highly unlikely. He swallowed, but didn't say anything.

     "Sir, who will teach us hand to hand combat , now that you are leaving? His buddy asked? And I was thinking of beating you in 5 km battle run, this year, but of course you are not going to be there", he joked.

     " Don't worry, i will come back to whip all you guys, in pistol shoot and battle tests, so better be prepared". The Colonel had an unbeaten record in both physical tests and pistol shooting, in the history of his regiment , besides being an expert in hand to hand combat. He relished the long hours training his men in fighting. Suddenly he was overcome by melancholy, who would he train with, now, outside as an ex army man? That thought struck an intense chord deep within him. Alone. Now he would be totally alone.

     On the other side of the platform, few soldiers waited to see off a young officer of an infantry battalion off for his wedding. There was leg pulling going on, the officer visibly embarrassed but enjoying the banter with his troops.

      A cold breeze blew, the sky was cloudy, it was the month of January, and the soldiers rubbed their palms together to stay warm, waiting for the train to arrive. Which it did. Both officers boarded the train . Having given a hug to the teary eyed men, Jack found his seat, pushed his only bag underneath the seat and looked outside at the fast moving scenery, the greenery of Punjab, moving along with the train chugging away at speed.

     So, that's it. He thought to himself, now what? He had no intention of working under any civilian, once out in the civvie street. He had no need to. A man of frugal tastes, he neither went clubbing, being a coffee lover, nor did he travel away from his paternal home.

     There would be no one to receive him. The train journey passed off uneventfully, and he de-trained, walking slowly, towards his uncertain future.

     But the distracted chain of thoughts did not lend him to any reduced sense of alertness . Forever in a state of fighting readiness, he constantly scanned the platform for any hidden lurking danger. Quite too often he had read reports of criminal activity in the station. Gangs would snatch an unsuspecting man's hand baggage and run away, merging with the crowd. Once they melted away, there would be no chance of receiving the lost baggage.

     The time in the platform clock showed 10 pm. Certain areas were dark and shadowy. Railway police personal would have by now finished their patrolling and only few police personnel could be on duty.

     As the colonel stepped up to climb the stairs, a man pushed past him, making a grab for his hand bag. The Colonel side stepped, whipping a lightening fast forearm strike to the man's throat, sending him pitching forward flat on his face, grievously wounded. Immediately he scanned for more miscreants, finding none, he continued walking up the stairs and away from the scene of an unwanted episode he had hardly needed today .

     Having replaced his combat fatigues for a denim jeans and a classic leather jacket, he looked quite a dapper and smart gentleman, a deceptive look for an ex army officer trained in one of the world's most lethal fighting systems, an Israeli combat system. The thief had been taken by surprise, unused to dealing with a fighting man, he had thought it would be a piece of cake, but it proved otherwise.

     Elsewhere, another member of the gang of thieves, waited to share the spoils of the nights snatching. Little did he realize, it would be a long wait, as his partner in crime lay unconscious, knocked senseless by the Colonels swift response to the threat, neutralizing it as easy as swatting away a fly.

      Having reached the car park, he located the waiting cab driver and got inside. He took a long sigh, it would be a long and lonely ride to his home, now. There would be no one to meet him home. The old General was in the hospital, and his mother too, as an attendant to look after his father. There were no servants , all having deserted a few weeks back. The home would bear a despondent look. But there had been no choice. Someone had to be there to look after the old and ageing parents. The city lights flashed by fast, Jack checked his phone, unnecessarily, for no one used to message him, nor call him. Outside his army, he had no friends. He was completely alone. There was no love in the cold, civilian life that awaited the Colonel. His hands closed instinctively into fists and he punched the seat in front hard, "damn, I need to get back to training", he thought, "or I would turn insane".

- Jaideep