Sharing the biscuit

Chathuri could not wait till the Customs procedure was over. She wanted some time to herself to go through the project plans. She was relieved to enter the boarding room at last. Now with a few hours left for the flight to take off, Chathuri could chill a little and concentrate on her papers.

She would be delivering a special lecture on the sociological viewpoint on feminism.

As she settled down to read, she felt another man’s presence close by. Chathuri did not mind his presence somewhat close to her, but it was something else that disturbed her. He was eating her biscuits - without even getting her permission!

He was reading a magazine, Chathuri noted. Times are different now, men don’t know their ethics. They think odds are on their side when women are vulnerable. Chathuri was losing her focus on her work. She feigned interest in reading, but her mind was full of something else.

She was hungry, but angrier at the guy’s behaviour. Without any politeness he grabbed biscuits one by one. Why do they lack decency simply to ask first? They were eating the biscuits by turns. He kept the packet closer to him, as if it’s his own and returned it to her side when he had taken his piece.

She tried to have as many biscuits as possible. This is her packet, not anyone else’s. If he just had a little decency to ask for the packet, Chathuri would not have thought twice. The packet did not cost her much, but manners should be manners.

She sent him a glare once, but she could not know if it was taken properly. Hey get up you fool, Chathuri played out words exuberantly in her mind, you think that’s a smart thing to do: grabbing an innocent lady’s biscuits? Of course, she could have asked him to stop messing around - not in a practical sense though. She cannot be indecent, just because he was one. But he must learn his lesson too.

The problem was, however, how the lesson could be taught. He was at it, smiling, while she was struggling with thoughts of fury. This is a good story to bring up in her next research: how guys exploit the decency and vulnerability of ladies - and especially the fact that ladies cannot afford to be rude. Yes, it is a good sociological perspective of feminism.

Over the next few minutes - the lady going through the project plans, the guy reading the magazine - the packet was over, with only one biscuit left. The guy volunteered to make a grab at the last piece too, without much hesitation, and break it in half. He left the other half for the lady. All this he did with a smile that Chathuri loathed.

She was relieved at last that the packet was over, but furious that the guy took her for a joke. Amid fury burning inside, she thought this is a good case study. They had a few more hours to wait. She was going through her documents, with lesser concentration. He didn’t even thank her for sharing her biscuits.

She stole another look at him trashing the empty wrapping. He did that at least, without leaving her to do that too.

As they finally checked into the flight, Chathuri sat down and relaxed on her business class seat. She wanted to listen to some good music, so she put her things back in the handbag. Then she felt something in the handbag, which made her curious, a tad.

She took that out and realised it’s her own packet of biscuits, intact and unopened. She was too busy thinking on the project, and had forgotten to get her own packet of biscuits. Chathuri had been eating the stranger’s biscuits! She wanted to locate the guy who shared the biscuits with her. But she could not. She was sorry she could not say ‘thank you’ for sharing his biscuits with her.

Of course it was a huge blunder, but she did not forget to learn the lesson it offered. The last thing she remembered was the smile he cast, a sparkling silver one.

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