"I am going!!"
"Did you take your handkerchief, wallet and cellphone?" mother inquired on my daily sign off statement.
"Yes"
"Okay, bye beta" mom said and I left for office.
It was just another day. Routine. But today, somehow I was feeling different, something strange, a kind of intuition, that somethings gonna happen. And to add to it, the typical filmy, my left eye was
fadking and I didn't even know whether the right or the left eye is the bad indication. Stop. What was I thinking, do I believe all this non sense!! "Naah!!!" came the reply from within. But still there was something that I wasn't liking.
I caught a rickshaw and began my journey. The eye still
fadking at regular intervals and my mind mill on its full swing. The traffic jam was at its peak and so was the heat. The scorching sun roaring high at around 30 minutes past 10 in the morning. Sitting in the rickshaw was as good as sitting in an oven but my mind mill still working at its best. I was busy wondering how difficult it must be for the ones walking on the street, and worse for those who work there. Poor things. My eyes were open, but was seeing just the constantly running film of thoughts. And then, all of sudden, she came in front, in middle of the road, and I saw her.
She was so much in distress, in middle of the street, struggling to get a ride. She was popping from here to there trying to get some help. She was also screaming in between may be. "Oh goodness!! I must help her!" I thought. No one was stopping to help her. And then she suddenly came in front of my rickshaw and my driver applied the brakes.
She came towards me, sweat dripping from side of her forehead, and said,
"Mujhe please station tak chhod do, BETA!!" yup, it was an old lady asking me for help. * what else did u think, naughty minds!!:P:)* Hmm...jokes apart,
She was really in a sorry state.Paper thin body, like that of Olive Oyl. Her body no more than a skeleton, hair all white, wearing specks, carrying a bag with load double her weight and she, fumbling to find some help. And then before I could say anything, she was already sitting besides me. I, shocked and awed, could do nothing and then we continued the journey. I was anyways going to help her, but holy man, "What the hell is happening??!!"I wondered. I didn't know how to react. And my mind was back to being a busybody. What must be her story? Is she thrown out of home by family? Is she left to be on her own? Is she in her senses? Is she normal or a psycho? Many questions ran through my mind and in no time, we reached station. She inquired,
"Station aa gaya kya?" and I replied,
"Haan". And then she got out of rickshaw and showered me with her blessings.
"Tumhara bahot bahot dhanyawaad beta. Bhagwaan tumhari hamesha raksha kare, khush rakhe" It sounded so filmy, nothing new. But somehow, this time, I was actually feeling nice. Strange, but I was actually feeling her blessings, I can still remember that thankful face. I was just dumbstruck and couldn't say a word. And by the time I settle payments with the rickshaw driver, she disappeared.
I was thinking about this whole day. I had done nothing great. I didn't even help her, in fact, she took the help on her own, he he yup, she did that. So what was it? Whatever it was, but I felt it was just a gift given to me by god, a *Surprise Gift*, as if he wanted to make his presence felt. I really don't know what did this incident mean, but will always stay in my heart. I can never forget those water filled eyes, blessing me from her heart.
So...sigh...with a happy feeling I reached office.I thank God, for giving me this touch of humanity, to make me feel his presence and existence. I surely now feel, someones there, and will always, who cares for me.:)
