It was 3:40 in the morning and my friend had finally succeeded in convincing me to meet him. He lived in a neighbouring country. I already had the visa and the border was just 2 hours away! So I booked a seat in the bus around 4 am and luckily, there were some seats available for the next day itself. I confirmed my reservation.
My alarm rang at 6:45am. I barely had a couple hours of sleep. The bus was suppose to leave at 8 in the morning. I managed to rush to the station. Because of the long weekend, the border security check was high and I finally reached his place around 2:30 in the afternoon.
I was waiting for him at the bus stop and just then my phone rang. I was in the international roaming zone but I had no other option but to pick his call.
"Hey! Could you please book an uber and come over to my place? I am too lazy to drive to the bust stop", he said that to me without any hesitation.
I wanted to shout at him in anger but I calmed myself and decided to enjoy this trip as it was my first ever international trip. I booked an uber and left the bus stop. His place was in the outskirts, far away from the downtown. Unfortunately, the driver told me that the address that my friend had given was fake! I tried calling him and his phone was now unreachable. I freaked out but the driver was very kind, he dropped me at a nearby McDonald's and asked me to stay inside until my friend comes and picks me up.
I finally got hold of my friend and he said he will come and pick me up from McDonald's. I check my phone, it was dying! It was 4:30pm and after 2 hours of waiting, he finally showed up and apologized.
We stopped at a pizza place and ordered a pizza, he also grabbed some beer along with it. We did take away and peft the place. The car finally stopped infront an apartment that looked pretty amazing. We both were in the lift and I felt that he tried to smell my hair. It was weird and creepy. But then I explained to myself that I must be tired and just overthinking about all this.
We went inside and his house was clean and tidy. Everything was placed correctly and neatly. It did not look like a bachelor's apartment. We had a couple slices of the pizza and I dozed off. After almost 2 hours when I woke up, I checked my phone, it was 7:30 in the evening and I was all alone in his apartment. I called him.
"Hey! I came over to my friend's place to watch the cricket match together. I will be back soon", and the phone got disconnected.
I waited for him, I wanted to see a lot of places and the skylines but instead I ended up getting bored but I had no other option. It was around 11pm, when he finally returned drunk and high. His eyes looked bloody, he was not able to stand by himself and his pupils were dialated.
"You don't look so good. You should probably get some sleep", I said.
But he kept nearing me and I kept increasing the distance. I was scared. My heart started thumping. I asked him to stop but he kept moving forward. He grabbed my cheeks and tried to impose himself. I held my palm on his face and tried to stop but he was strong and heavy. I tried using my nails as a weapon but it enraged him more. He held my shoulder and pushed me away. I banged my head into the wall. He again started moving towards me. This time I was in tears and begging him to let me go. His intentions were now clear to me. I wish I had know this sooner.
I tried to escape but he pulled me back to the wall and blocked me. He reeked of alcohol and cigarette. He held my hand so hard that his fingerprints felt like a xerox on my wrist. He moved his head towards my neck and smelled my hair. I could feel that I was now trapped in his cage! I wanted to escape but how, when and where.
He was well educated, worked in a reputed firm and yet behaved disgracefully. Suddenly, I felt his hand moving towards my back and his teeth on my neck. At that moment, I knew that if I don't take a step quickly, I will be doomed forever. He had now held me with one hand and I knew very well that, he will not be able to hold me longer with a single hand.
I glanced through the room. Just about 2 meters away I found a water bottle. It looked like steel built. I managed to grab the bottle. He was too involved to notice and that's when the attack was needed. I pulled all my strength and hit him hard on head. I ran away from him. He started to stumble. He held his head in anger and started moving towards me in haste. However, when he reached midway, he fell down unconscious.
That was my key. I grabbed my passport, booked an uber straight to the airport. My uber was 8 mins away and I was outside the building at 12:14am. I was terrified, shaky and out of breath. It was around 12:22 am when my uber arrived. Fortunately, my uber was on time and I had just managed to escape. I sat in the car, opened the windows and took a deep breath! I felt that I had not been breathing for a while, I felt alive! I felt relieved and greatful. I managed to break free the trap that was laid out for me.
I went to the airport, got a bottle of water and relaxed. I calmed myself and looked for a hotel. I checked in the hotel at around 2 in the morning. I blocked his number and reported. I order a nice meal, ate and slept off. Next morning, I got up around 10:30. I visited some tourist attractions near by, had good food, enjoyed my own company, clicked pictures and made my first international trip a memorable one. Finally, at around 10:30 pm I boarded the bus back to my home country.
I did learn some lessons along the way in this trip that I will always carry it with me. Believe in yourself. Stay aware. It is always mind over matter. If you can make up your mind to do something, you will surely win. And I had won that day and I was so proud.
