Wayside view

 

An old man in dirty clothes, smoking a beedi, sitting on the corner bench was a daily sight for me as I waited at the bus stand. It became a habit for me to keep looking at him until the bus arrived. Some days, I would see a young man getting out of a car and giving him money. I thought of the young man as a well-dressed gentleman. However, I couldn't understand why the old man would murmur or scold him when the money was being paid.

One day, the young boy talked to him longer than usual and gave him more money. Then he got into the car and left the place. I never saw the young man near the old man again. 

That day, there was a lightning bus strike. Then, everyone went back home without going to work. I walked to the old man's usual place. He was sitting there as usual with a beedi and smoke around.

I asked, "Doesn't it take a lot of money to smoke beedi like this all the time? Isn't it because the young man used to give you money and you scold him that he doesn't come nowadays?"

The old man slowly looked at me and then said in a dry voice, "He is my son. Now that he has sold the house and land and moved to a new flat, will I not be his father? How long will he leave me here alone in this rented house behind the bus stand and not share the money he got from selling the land where his mother sleeps? He came to give her share of the money to me last time. I know he will come to call me one day. He is my only son.

I stood there for a while, not knowing what to say, and then I walked away as if I were his only son... 

Is this not sufficient to break the spirits of young people?  Sometimes, a few words can reveal a lifetime of pain. Be kind, always.