I drove my old battered scooty pep way back home, after one of those days, you know for sure could have not ended better. With music playing in my ipod, I could feel the rush in my head as I thought about the resignation letter which I handed over earlier that day, the offer letter which I had received from a good company a few days ago, the new vehicle which I had booked with my very own money. Life had the best things to offer me at that very moment. Just the thought of not having to work at that lousy office anymore made me squeal in happiness and I had a smile to offer to everyone.
Suddenly the world seemed to be a better place to live in. Rash drivers and careless pedestrians were blessed not to hear my curse as they were taken in a stride. As I made my way towards nungambakkam , traffic was lighter than usual. At the signal, I stopped the bike and changed the song to a peppy upbeat number to suit my mood.
I noticed a small little girl about the age of 5 begging on the road beside the pavement along with her brother, who looked like he was 8. The kid was so was about 2 feet tall and had to hold her brothers hand for support to climb the pavement. My heart instantly went out for the small kid. There was something so cute about her that I could not tear my eyes away. The two kids approached the auto which was beside me and the driver decided to play God that day and harshly turned them away ,not before giving the boy a tight slap and sharing his words of wisdom “ Go and earn , stop begging”. Instantly I imagined slapping that guy and saying “Stop stealing people’s money in the name of petrol hike and pls oh pls stop acting like a smartass”.
All of a sudden the little girl locked eyes with me and gave me a charming smile. I knew I would be their next target. The autowala seeing this, resumed his God’s role and said to me “Don’t encourage these kids; they have to earn for their living”. While I mentally radioed him back by saying, “F*&%^ these kids are 5 and 8, what bloody earn?”
As they approached, I took my purse out, handed a few coins to the girl and touched her cheek. She closed her eyes, pressed the coins against her cheeks, felt the coolness against her skin and smiled.
The joy which was seen in her face is unexplainable. Her proud brother gave her a tight hug and took the money from her and carefully pocketed it and gave her a coin to play with.
The signal turned green and vehicles started moving, the small boy again held the girl’s hand, crossed the road and moved away.
As I sped away seeing their little figures disappear in distance, all I could think of was “how happiness defines itself to each one of us in different ways”!!
