I am going to relate an incident which happened to me today. I don't know how many people I have helped overall in my life. Especially when it comes to dealing with the sick, I am quite an amateur. I only run away as far as possible from suffering and sick patients. Very immature and selfish of me to say so, but actually I would attribute it to my incapacity to deal with emergency situations or even giving first aid. I always have the fear, what if I go wrong and something happens to the person? But this time I was the patient--so extremely convenient!
I had an exam today and usually I don't get proper sleep during the previous night of any exam. My stress level coupled with intense stomach cramps was enough to toss my head off. The morning blues started with the short cycles of tensed inspiration and expiration, 'Will I(breathe in)?' or 'Won't I(breathe out)?' get the college bus? The bus driver on the top of it had told me that he might not come. I pestered my mom to drop me by car to the stop which is just 100m away from my house. She too stood along with me ready to wave her dupatta at any yellow bus coming on the road. Many people going for morning walks witnessed our pathetic condition, but a gang of speed bikers swished past us towards the beach. For them, Saturdays meant fun and nothing else but fun. I became mildly jealous of them.
Ha, finally my own bus came and picked me up. What a relief! I gave a smile to my mom which was so lacking in me for many hours. My mom asked me not to worry being a bit worried herself. She must have said bye but by then all I noticed was the dark cosy interior of my own college bus.
Studying or finishing assignments in the bus is something that I have learnt to do but invariably these two are enough to put me to sleep. Nagging my juniors, bugging them with my no care attitude and meddling with their over expensive high funda gadgets are other activities which I normally perform with expertise and enthusiasm. They treat me as a necessary evil and I think they have already put me in their 'beware of' list. So they would carefully choose places away from the place I usually sit.
Today my bus was unusually empty. So I had a great time gazing out of the window. Then lets just fast forward the part where I successfully landed in college and walked up the 'tirupathi padi' upto my class, and finished my exam. After my exam got over, I couldn't leave early cause my friend wanted help with group theory. I sat there the whole time having lunch and explaining the meaning of each and every concept. It was great revisiting those parts and I was surprised that I remembered quite a lot and it also helped me to analyse my flaws in understanding. Then I asked my friend to accompany me to the station where I hoped to catch a train towards home sweet home. The train was at 15:11, I bought the ticket at 15:09 and I ran up the steps. I was shocked that I was unable to carry my own weight. It is these kind of moments which help me realise the importance of physical exercise.
I stupidly chose a place to stand, on the platform. My lack of experience clearly seen in my choice. The train arrived but nowhere I could find the ladies compartment. Then I ran haphazardly towards the engine driver and thankfully I located a group of ladies staring aimlessly out of the window. I rushed in but it proved futile as I could not locate a seat. I moved forward and I sat off on the place marked first class.
People swindle crores and crores of money and break millions of laws but a group of tired ladies should not sit in first class. Some idiot wanted to prove his authority and rudely chased us out of our seats. I was the last to leave among the group and I wanted to spit at his face but I restrained myself lest he throws me out of the fast moving train. I stood there aimlessly for some time quite shaken by the insult to humanity. Then I slowly started moving forward towards the crowded portions of the compartment barely hearing the noise of the people selling oily samosas.
I stood hanging for about a minute, I suddenly could not breathe. I started sweating profusely and with great reluctance I asked to be offered a seat. I knew the minimal lunch, lack of sleep and stomach cramps had done the trick plus the haphazard running to catch the ladies' compartment. A kind lady stood up and forced me to sit in her place. Then questions started pouring in from all directions. B.P.a?, Sugar a?, Please call home. Where is your home? Which station? Did you have anything to eat? Do you bring medicine? Take water. Wash face with water. I sat down and on one side I was too tired to answer and on another side I didn't want to answer as it could trigger more questions. I just wanted to be left alone and peaceful, that's how my family has treated a 'sick me' for years. I nodded my head in every possible direction thinking that it would stop them from asking questions. Suddenly a sleepy old fat lady sitting near the window, got up and everyone along with her in chorus asked me to lie down. I seized the opportunity and moved towards the window. I didn't lie down. I just wanted a small space to sit. I felt too embarrassed. I wanted to dig my head into the soil like an ostrich so I tried to move my head right out the window but unfortunately my head was too big to be pushed out so I stuck myself against the wall.
I couldn't face anyone. I felt too guilty that I had pulled away their luxury because of my sickness. I drew an imaginary halo on top of their heads and prayed that they should all go to heaven. The fat lady who stood for me couldn't stand for a long time. So she pushed a thin perplexed small boy aside and squeezed herself on the seat opposite me. The questions had stopped for some time as I pretended to close my eyes and sleep.
The ladies in the train really took care of me. They were each giving me motherly advice. The fat lady sponsored me a bottle of fruit juice and forced me to drink the whole stuff. Nothing went inside cause it was too cold to be swallowed. I tried returning the bottle to her but she refused to take it and everyone again shouted in chorus "take it! take it! One must not refuse timely help!" The fat lady spoke "I think of you as my daughter. For her I would have surely bought it. So have it!" and she got off in the next station. I had no words, I never knew that the world around was this much good.
From childhood my brain has always thought, "Don't trust strangers! They cheat you!" The important fact here is that there are some people who are good and always ready to help in this fast paced, selfish world. If all people were bad then surely the world would have ended long ago. I again go back to the question I asked in the beginning, "Whom did I help to be offered such heaps and bounds of affection in return?".
