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Friday, 10 February 2012

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Act of kindness

He had another look at his rear mirror. In that dim light of dawn, hardly anything would be clear. But Chandrapala could spot who it was. A woman - may be in her seventies - stood by her car. Is it an imposter, Chandrapala wondered silently. Whoever it is… Whatever it is… Chandrapala made up his mind.

He put the Benz into the reverse.

Poor woman, he thought, as he got down. The vehicle had a flat tyre. As Chandrapala rightly guessed, the lady was too old to replace the tyre by herself. It was scorching hot too. The engine was still running on both vehicles.

“Ma’am you can stay inside this, till I’m done. I’ve got AC in there.”

The first thing he did was open the booth. He took the tool bag out. It was just a matter of few minutes, and he was done. The lady was amazed. But she didn’t forget to thank him too.

“No, ma’am, I’m not going to have it.”
Chandrapala said, taking his eyes off the heavy cash wad.
“No, don’t take this as a payment. You can give it to someone needy, perhaps.”

The offer was tempting. But no, this is not a job he has done. He could not think of being paid for something that is not a job.

“If you really need to pay me, ma’am, you may see someone else who will need your help. Then remember me, and help them on my behalf.”

“What’s your name, son?”
“I’m Chandrapala, ma’am.”
“Ok, Chandrapala, I wish you good luck and will remember you always.”
The two vehicles moved along two paths.

The old woman was tired. She needed some refreshments, but she didn’t like any restaurant in town. She was quite choosy, when it comes to food. Then she spotted a certain restaurant with a name that did sound familiar. One of her friends had told her of such a restaurant before.

She liked the look of the restaurant. Everything was spotless. The waitress looked into everything with so much dedication. While having a sumptuous meal, the lady could not help observe the waitress. She has mastered the art of observing people, and people said her conclusions are smart and accurate.

The waitress was a sight. Neatly dressed, she looked about 30. However she was not a brisk walker. The old woman read her face, fingers and the rest of her physique. There was something she was pretty confident about. The waitress is pregnant, and did not have money.

Then she remembered Chandrapala. ‘You may see someone who needs help, then remember me.’

The waitress rushed to the counter to get the balance Rs 1,000. When she came back, she could not find the lady. Where would she have gone? She is gone, and so is her car. Thoughtfully, the waitress came back to clean the table for the next client. There lay something tucked inside a serviette. She was taken aback to discover what was stacked inside.

A note, along with five other notes like the one she just took to the counter, read: “You don’t owe me anything, love. Someone helped me out once too. So when you find someone else who needs help, then remember me.”

Clutching the notes to her bosom, the waitress heaved a sigh of relief. She and her husband managed to eke out a living with difficulty. But with the baby due next month, things will only get worse. The lady has seen all of that in the spur of the moment.

How can she ever thank the lady for her great generosity?

The waitress was waiting for her shift to be over. But it seemed so long, as if it is never going to end. She was going to prepare a good meal for her husband, who will be back finishing four shifts in one go. She welcomes him home wiping the sweat off his forehead.

He never grumbles when things go wrong, or when things are not sweet. All he knew was he had to work and work - more and more shifts - to accept the baby. At night he would drive the container, and the first thing he got to do in the morning was to drive the company car a few kilometres off city to fetch the executive officers.

Alone in the room, half asleep, his gaze was always fixed on the roof. The baby is welcome, but brings more worries too. His lips pursed with unspoken thoughts. His wife felt all this.

She got closer and gave him a soft kiss on forehead.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be all right.”

Chandrapala heard the muffled voice, which would slowly inform him about the godsend.

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