After
a week in bed, my son got to his feet after the dengue fever. He had some notes
to be photocopied and both of us decided to take a short stroll.
Once
the job on hand was done, we began our walk back and as always my son’s foodie
feet started slowing at the sight of a food stall. I let him take a look. I
just wanted him to get back to normalcy.
Though
in his early teens now, I feel emotionally drained when he falls sick. He wanted to eat something hot and I stopped
near the corn vendor. The lemon and chili powder that the street side vendor
rubbed over the corn made our tongues water liberally.
I
asked my son to head back home, while I stood there patiently waiting in queue, behind the
others who had placed their orders before me. When the guy ahead of me had to
pay, he realized that he ran short of Rs.5/-. The corn vendor told him to give
it the next time he bought corn. I was awestruck at the generosity of this road
side vendor.
Instantly,
I decided to pay an additional Rs.5/- along with my share. He accepted it
gracefully and I proceeded. As I neared the next stall that sold flowers and
greens, I realized that I needed coriander and curry leaves. I asked the vendor
to give me a bunch of each.
I
opened the purse to shell out the money. As I fumbled, I realized that I was
running short of Rs.5/- !
“Bring
it along tomorrow,” I heard the generous vendor say before he proceeded to serve his
next customer.
