One fine Morning...
It was a fine morning, pleasant...slightly misty...a little cold coz of the previous nights rain...all in all just about perfect. Ah ah..maybe I spoke too soon. It was a morning I wouldnt forget in the days to come. Not for a long long time.
The bus was almost flying on the highway and then at quarter past eight turned into the wet roads of the huge campus that provides employment to a few thousands in the city. As it was trotting along...as usual I was sitting by the window and looking out feeling the cold breeze on my face. It was chilly...but I was so lost in my thoughts that I didnt realize that the glass panes can be slided to shut out the harsh wind. And as usual I was sitting there silent not talking to anyone..the bus was filled with atleast 30 people and yet I was alone. I sometimes wonder why I have turned into a loner these days not sharing my feelings with anyone not letting anyone into my trust circle. I hope its a passing phase and I will be that endlessly mindlesly chattering girl soon.
And then I saw him. At a turn, he was there...a boy of 18 or probably 20...sweeping the road in front of an office. He was diligently carrying out the work. Gathering every leaf into a pile...
The bus had halted and I could catch a glimpse of his face. Whether he enjoyed his work or cursed his fate..I dont know, but I could see that right then, the only thing he was determined to do was to tidy the place. And I suddenly felt sorry for him. I was not sorry because of what he was doing, it was about his future...and lil did I know that the future I was worried about for him was soo near.
It happened...in less than 5 seconds after I realized what was going to happen. A purple hi-tech bus was coming in the opposite direction and as he turned at this bend...I knew what was going to happen....how could the driver not know...I was so dumbstruck..I wanted to yell at the driver telling him what he was going to do..but I couldnt. I dont know if it was the shock of the incident that was yet to happen or if there was just not enough time to react. As the bus turned...it hit him. My bus started to move and I couldnt see anything but the back of the purple bus. I so wanted to see if he was hurt badly. I looked at the people in my bus and saw....a girl was resting her head agianst the window and sleeping, another man was reading the newspaper and another one was busy talking on his mobile....I wanted to cry out loud to all the people in my bus.."How
can you people be so insensitive...did you not see that...dont you want to get down and help him.."...but I didnt do anything. I turned back and saw a crowd gathering at the place.
And I felt this sudden pain inside me...my heart sank, my hands were numb and the only thing I could see was the 10 second incident replaying in from of me again and again and again. He was nobody to me, but he was innocent. He was hit and hurt and he was in pain. And I was in pain. The connection was not between me and him...it was between me and that sensitive girl inside me. And there it dropped....one tear onto my lap. I quickly wiped it away and told myself that he would be fine.
And I prayed for him.
The bus was almost flying on the highway and then at quarter past eight turned into the wet roads of the huge campus that provides employment to a few thousands in the city. As it was trotting along...as usual I was sitting by the window and looking out feeling the cold breeze on my face. It was chilly...but I was so lost in my thoughts that I didnt realize that the glass panes can be slided to shut out the harsh wind. And as usual I was sitting there silent not talking to anyone..the bus was filled with atleast 30 people and yet I was alone. I sometimes wonder why I have turned into a loner these days not sharing my feelings with anyone not letting anyone into my trust circle. I hope its a passing phase and I will be that endlessly mindlesly chattering girl soon.
And then I saw him. At a turn, he was there...a boy of 18 or probably 20...sweeping the road in front of an office. He was diligently carrying out the work. Gathering every leaf into a pile...
The bus had halted and I could catch a glimpse of his face. Whether he enjoyed his work or cursed his fate..I dont know, but I could see that right then, the only thing he was determined to do was to tidy the place. And I suddenly felt sorry for him. I was not sorry because of what he was doing, it was about his future...and lil did I know that the future I was worried about for him was soo near.
It happened...in less than 5 seconds after I realized what was going to happen. A purple hi-tech bus was coming in the opposite direction and as he turned at this bend...I knew what was going to happen....how could the driver not know...I was so dumbstruck..I wanted to yell at the driver telling him what he was going to do..but I couldnt. I dont know if it was the shock of the incident that was yet to happen or if there was just not enough time to react. As the bus turned...it hit him. My bus started to move and I couldnt see anything but the back of the purple bus. I so wanted to see if he was hurt badly. I looked at the people in my bus and saw....a girl was resting her head agianst the window and sleeping, another man was reading the newspaper and another one was busy talking on his mobile....I wanted to cry out loud to all the people in my bus.."How
can you people be so insensitive...did you not see that...dont you want to get down and help him.."...but I didnt do anything. I turned back and saw a crowd gathering at the place.
And I felt this sudden pain inside me...my heart sank, my hands were numb and the only thing I could see was the 10 second incident replaying in from of me again and again and again. He was nobody to me, but he was innocent. He was hit and hurt and he was in pain. And I was in pain. The connection was not between me and him...it was between me and that sensitive girl inside me. And there it dropped....one tear onto my lap. I quickly wiped it away and told myself that he would be fine.
And I prayed for him.
posted by Pooja Subramanya at
12:10 PM
4 Comments
