Life - Unpredictable!

It was a dark rainy, cold night. Sitting at the bus stop near Darjeeling, a 28-year-old dejected boy was waiting for the bus to return home. The boy got a new job as a bank officer, but he recognized that this was not what he had set out to do after the first two weeks of his work. Perhaps he was missing Durga Puja in his homeland, or maybe he could have been a better army officer. 

Suddenly he received a text message from the bus company stating that the bus will be an hour late.

"Oh my God, disgusting"; he said to himself.

In the dark, he noticed a ray of light from a distance.

 "Looks like a tea stall. This is exactly what  I need in this cold"; he said to himself.

He dashed to the stall with his small suitcase. It was a tiny stall with only two biscuit jars, one chewing gum jar, and a small teapot. He noticed an almost 80-year-old man sitting inside wearing a sweater and scarf with only one arm. 

The old man offered tea to the boy even before he asked.

"How much is it dadu?"; the boy enquired.

"4 rupees"; replied the old man.

Nothing for him to do, the boy started a conversation with the old man.

"It's just 8:10 pm; why is it so dark here?"; The boy asked.

"It's normal in here, son, it's the start of the village, everyone goes home after 7. It's not safe here" ; The old man replied in a soft voice.

"Then why didn't you go home?"; The boy questioned frightenedly.

"I live nearby", the old man replied and pointed his finger towards the other side. "My wife completes cooking by eight, and also, the last bus leaves at eight. So I stay in the shop till eight."

"Well, it's already 8:15; arent you supposed to be home now?"; The boy asked confusingly.

"I saw you coming from the bus stop; I realized the bus is late and you might need some tea to pass the time. Moreover, you are safe here with me as well"; the old man replied.

How can this older man protect me from thugs, the boy wondered.

"So dadu, do you live here since your childhood?" the boy enquired.

The old man looked hesitant, and he softly whispered "I am from Bangladesh.I came here with my wife as a refugee around 50-60 years ago. Those were tough times, he said. People didn't like each other; we were lucky enough to escape, and to save our lives."

Hearing this, the boy got stunned and thought, why this guy is telling all his secrets to me.

The boy quickly asked "so, are you an Indian citizen now?"

The old man laughed and replied, "Yes.  I have two sons and a daughter here as well. I am very much Indian now. Unfortunately, both boys dislike us and live in south India. My daughter loves us a lot. She is married but keeps visiting."

The boy was moved by the old man's plight. Looking at his situation at this age, he is just scraping by with a modest roadside stall and little family assistance.  The boy thought of giving some money to the older man, but he didn't know the better way to ask for it. The boy then asked for another cup of tea.

Sipping the tea, the boy asked, "And what happened to your left hand? If I may ask."

"It's again a long story, my son"; the old man said.

"Guess I have 30 more minutes"; the boy replied.

"Well, when I came here from Bangladesh, I knew only one guy 'Bijoy' . He helped me a  lot by providing me and my wife space in his rented home for a few months and helped me get a job in a handloom mill. One day, Bijoy and I were going to work together in a bus. I was sitting on the left window with my left arm out to feel the air. Suddenly,I saw an army truck came rushing from the front, the bus driver took a right to avoid the head clash, but the buses crashed by the side. In a moment of the second, I wasn't able to feel my arm. All I can see was blood and blood everywhere. I dont remember what happened after that, probably went unconscious. The next thing I remember was that I was in a hospital, and I didn't have one arm. My wife and friend stood by my side. I was devasted. The terrifying fear I had was that I wouldn't be able to pay my bills. And who is going to hire a crippled man now?; the old man said.

"But there comes the hope of light, the old man continues. Army personnel came the very next day and apologized for what happened. He also said that government would provide 50 thousand rupees as a consolation. My eyes lit up; my wife and friend both were stunned. Fifty thousand rupees in the 1970s was massive. I have never seen that amount of money, neither did my friend. I thought it would be great to start a new business, and even if I keep that amount in a bank, the interest will serve my monthly need. I won't have to work at all. The lost arm is a blessing in disguise. The army officer asked to collect it the next day from the office; he gave me a paper and asked me to show it to the counter to get the cash. My wife expressed that it is not a good idea for me to go in this condition so she will collect the money. Bijoy said that he would be accompanying my wife as it was a huge cash and needed to be taken care of. "

"The plan was well set; it was a mixed feeling for me. The very next day, both my wife and friend went to collect the sum. At home, I waited impatiently. The office was 30 minutes away from our home, and they had been gone for two hours. I began to get concerned because there were no phones at the time, but I soon saw my wife on the door, she was weeping and panting. She said that Bijoy fooled her and took all the money. He asked her to sit on the bus and himself escaped with the cash. I was taken aback, couldn't accept the reality. I trusted Bijoy so much. He was like my brother. God gave me the biggest hope of my life and took it away in a matter of seconds."; the old man narrated the whole story.

The boy's eyes welled up with tears as he felt sorry for the old guy.

He asked, then what did you do dadu?

"Well, I cried. I was sad and depressed for a week. But I realized that I had no money left, so mourning for long was not an option. When reality hits you, you have no choice but to accept it. My wife soon took a job as a caretaker and there was nothing much I could do, so I opened this small stall on the roadside with little saving I had. Its been around 35 years since I am in this stall. We moved on, we had kids, and I am happy that we raised them well, and now they are of their own"; the old man said softly.

"Have you met Bijoy ever after? Did you forgive him?"; the boy asked.

"No, I didn't meet him ever after. And I don't want to as well. He must have a reason for sure. I would think of myself as being weak if I didn't forgive. I'm capable of letting go because I'm strong;" the old man replied.

The boy felt a sense of respect for the older man now. Deeply touched by his story, the boy offered all the money he had in his wallet i.e., around 2 thousand rupees, to the old man.

The older man politely refused and said, "count the things you have that money can't purchase if you want to feel rich; for me, it is my wife."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The boy was speechless. From a distance, the boy could hear the bus approaching.

The old man said; "So there you have it, son. Have a safe trip home. It's time for me to shut the stall."

Mesmerized by the older man's story and sagacity, the boy said a final goodbye and stepped onto the bus.

All his joy and excitement at the prospect of meeting his family had vanished as he gazed out of the window. He was continually thinking about how he was lamenting his life to God. The entire timeline of the old man's life was right in front of his eyes. Refuge-disability-betrayal. Despite this, the old guy forgave and found happiness in his wife's devotion. What a gentleman!

He realized that the genuine "hero" in life is not the one who performs on stage, but rather the magnanimous one who has lost everything but rises to fight back. We don't have to look among celebrities and athletes to find our Idol. If we look around, we'll see many hardworking and generous people in our family and neighborhood. Throughout our lives, we learn about "humanity" from individuals through simple situations; thus we should take a minute to glance up and cherish those wonderful moments. Be grateful for what we have and considerate of what we do.

Life is not easy for some; the ones who are fortunate grumbles the most.  

Cheers,

Zaman