Often, on her way back home, she walked past that homeless man. Dressed in a pair of tattered jeans and a flimsy shirt, the man would try to catch her eye. And when he did, his lips would curl up in a sombre smile. It was not a lewd smile. It was not even one inviting her to come over and chat. Rather his smile was one of deep understanding; as if he knew how her boss had been a nuisance that day and how he believed that she never deserved the troubles she faced.
She had been taught as a child to not trust strangers. She had also learnt, from unsaid actions of her family and friends, to see thuggery in poverty. So she never returned that smile. No, she didn’t even return a casual nod. But she found the world a better place every evening when she saw that smile. She sensed empathy and she sensed acceptance.
This way it went on. For a month maybe or perhaps it was longer. In that instant when their eyes met, she poured all her stories into that glance. All her triumphs and all her troubles were shared. In his smile, she found an eager ear and a sympathetic word.
Then one day he was not there. She felt a little lost. She hurried away and just as she turned around the corner, he was there, looking at her with that same smile. He was standing there with two cups of coffee from the nearby café. She didn’t even realize when but she soon had one of those cups nestled in her hands, the hot coffee warming up her cold hands. By the time she sat down beside him on that slightly wet bench, she had stopped thinking. All that existed was that instant, the two of them, that bench and the coffee.
He started talking. He told her about the street. He spoke about the cold nights. And he told her about the warmth of the first rays of the morning sun. He pointed out the nice dogs. And he pointed out the nasty ones. He had a name for each one of them. He even had names for each of the trash cans on that street. And he told her in which ones he usually found fresh food. He narrated one incident where he did not get any food for two straight days. How it had rained heavily on those days and people generally were sparse. He had to seek cover in the bus stop. Finally, after two days the sun came out and people started coming back to the shops. A kind soul bought him a loaf of bread. He said that he could still feel the taste of that bread on his tongue. He kept on talking. And she kept listening. Even as his troubles assumed greater scale, hers started to fade away. Her boss no longer seemed a monster. That terrible coffee in her office suddenly became much better. Her boring work, that helped her keep a roof over her head, seemed bearable.
She smiled at him for the first time. Her eyes seemed to shine under the fading yellow evening sky. He stiff shoulders relaxed a little and her hands stopped clasping her bag so hard. Even as she sipped on that hot coffee, she became aware of how much this man had even while having nothing. That coffee money could have fed him two more meals. Instead here he was, smiling and talking his imminent hunger away. She held his hands and said her heartfelt thanks. He just smiled his same smile. As she stood up and walked away, the air seemed a little warmer and the people looked a little happier.
jbbartram-illu
gummygunk
snowghoul
janainaart
izzy806
pixelskylines
kianamaiart
blakekathryn