L(i)ove and Let live

I knotted my tie as I took a quick glimpse of myself in my bedroom mirror. “Ramesh don’t forget your lunch” my wife yelled from the bathroom. “Ok sweetheart” I shouted back. Though my wife and I worked for the same organization, her office was proximate. I had to take the metro to travel across the city. I always had to rush to board the 8.50AM train, missing which would make me take the 9.20AM one which would be too crowded. Taking the crowded train would make me sweat and I end up stinking all day. I wore my shoes and rushed down to my bike, which I always park near the stairs of the apartment. A stray dog was near my bike and it growled as I neared the bike. As I went closer it showed its teeth ferociously, growling more fiercely, I realized it had given birth to three puppies under the stairs. My phone rang as I stood staring at my bike helplessly. It was my wife who was calling. “You have missed your lunch honey”, she said sounding disappointed. I just realized that I missed it. She offered to tie a rope to the basket and drop it down from the balcony. I collected the lunch packet and removed the knot. She waved good bye and smiled from the balcony as she pulled the rope up. I waved back with a smile and rushed outside to take an auto.

I saw the watchman at the gate “What the hell do you people do all day, there is a stray dog near my bike not letting me near it” I shouted at him as I walked out of the compound. He came out of his room and walked with me trying to convincing me, “Sir, very sorry Sir, give me two minutes Sir and I’ll chase it”. “I am already late”, I said and as I was talking to him an auto passed by “auto”, I called. The auto had already crossed me when it stopped and the driver took a U turn to come back to me. “When you don’t even notice a dog getting in, what protection are you to the apartment”, I said angrily. I was in a hurry and the poor watchman became my stress venting point. He had nothing to say and only managed to apologize. I had known him for years and I didn’t mean to hurt him. “Make sure you don’t repeat this and ensure the dog is chased before I return”, I said as the auto arrived. “Velachery railway station” I announced. “Ya sure sir get in”, he offered, “How much is the fare?”, I asked. “100 rupees Sir”, he replied. “Why don’t you ask a 1000?”, I said sarcastically. “How much is your offer Sir?”, he asked. “30 rupees”, I replied flatly. “Sir that’s too less, Petrol prices are high these days”, he claimed. I had no time for argument, “I am not asking for central station brother. I am asking for Velachery station it is hardly 2kms from here” I said looking around for some other auto.“You are the first customer today Sir so for that sentiment I can accept to drive for a 50rs Sir. I cannot offer a lesser fair” the driver said. I was already late and had to get in. When I reached the station, it was 8.53AM. I paid the driver. I was stressed out with all the rushing and still missed the train. I slowly walked towards the platform disappointed. As I had missed the train I didn’t want to rush anymore. But the train was still there and it just started as I entered the platform. I ran at my maximum pace and boarded the train before it could gain speed. It was not much crowded but it made no difference as I was sweating anyway.

After I reached my office, the day passed with the monotony of any other day. I called my wife in the evening. “Hello”, I began. “Tell me sweetie”, she replied from the other end. “Is the dog chased yet”, I asked. “No honey”, she said with a hesitation. “What? The dog is not chased yet?”, I asked annoyed. “No honey, it is very fierce”, she began to elaborate, as I got onto my friend’s bike asking him to drop me at the station, and she continued “When the maid came in this morning, it has chased her angrily”, she said. “Oh god, it bit her?”, I asked inquisitively. “No honey. It didn’t move from the puppies so it just barked and chased her away”, she said, “Did it harm anyone? Why did it chase her specifically?”, I asked doubtfully. “You know right? Dogs don’t like people dressed bad”, she said. “Oh yeah and our maid dresses in rag all the time”, I replied sarcastically. “No idiot. I mean that she does not present herself decently right, it is usual that dogs bark at such people and chase them. Since this dog has puppies below our house it is extra conscious”, she said. “Alright, all these stories apart. What are we gonna do about the dog” I asked. She said “I called the blue cross dear, they said they can’t disturb the dog for 15 days and when the puppies grow, they would come take the dog and its pups”, she said casually. “What the hell? 15 days? It does not even allow me to access my bike”, I groaned. “Think of some other solution if you can, if nothing works, it’s gonna be this way and you gotta adjust”, she replied keeping cool. “I ll try doing something about it honey” I said conclusively. “Darling, I had dinner with my friends. It was Anju’s birthday. So finish your dinner on the way” she said. “Okay de bye”, I said and hung up.

I reached the station, thanked my friend for dropping me. I remembered of a friend whose tenant worked in the corporation. I called him and asked what could be done about this dog. He said that they don’t separate the dog and pups before the pups grow. I hung up disappointed. I was disappointed when I realized I dint have a bike and had to eat in a restaurant on the way home. It suddenly occurred to me that even the dog does go in search of food. I thought maybe we could relocate the pups somewhere when the dog goes in search of food. I thought that it would be a cool idea and the dog would leave my apartment when the pups are removed. I saw a canteen in the station. I decided to eat there and board the train. The food was decently good there for a railway canteen. The train which I regularly board departed in the opposite platform as i ate. Since it was late in the night the frequency of the trains would reduce I thought. “Next train eppo(when) brother”, I asked the server boy. “In another 20 minutes one train Sir and then in another 20 minutes last train Sir”, he said. I finished my dinner and crossed to the next platform.

I sat on a bench. The whole platform was kind of empty and the only crowd in the station was in the canteen. I was bored and began observing things that were happening around. The canteen was very crowded; people were rushing and pushing each other away without any queue discipline. I realized how much crowd I had penetrated to place my order and smiled to myself. I saw a beggar guy walking towards the canteen. He looked a bit like mentally retarded, dressed like a gypsy in rags, looked like he had not bathed for days. He had a foot long beard and clumsy hair. As he neared the canteen the waiter boy came out shouting, “Hey where are you coming, go away”. Without any reaction to what the waiter said, he went near the crowd and everybody moved at once. “I am hungry give me some food”, he asked like he had some account opened there. The owner stared at the waiter. “Sir I tried chasing him but he walked in straight away”, the waiter said helplessly. I heard all these feebly as the crowd there was buzzing. “Give him something and chase him away its business time”, the owner shouted at the waiter.

The waiter said something which I was not able to hear but it looked like he said, “At once sir”. The waiter took a pack of food and walked the beggar away from the shop. He kept the food on the platform telling, “Stay here never come near the shop” in a threatening tone. The beggar, smiled whole hearted at the waiter for giving food. His teeth were almost grey in color. I felt bad that he was treated so mean. Two cockroaches from the platform crawled over his food, which he dint notice. He was smiling at the waiter, as the waiter walked back to his shop. He then looked at the food. He smiled at the cockroaches and for one second my heart skipped a beat. I thought he would eat them and felt so disgusted. I was not able to take my eye off him either. He took the cockroaches along with a handful of food, kept it aside and a made a gesture telling, “Eat eat” and began eating his food. I felt so bad “Poor guy so mentally ill and has no one to take care of him”, I thought to myself. In a while a dog that passed by him began barking. It barked in full hatred towards him, I remembered my wife telling dogs hate people dressed in rags. Poor guy even if it bites him, there would be no one to give him first aid. I felt my body get hot in tension of what would happen next. Nobody at the other side noticed the dog barking at him or even cared to chase the dog and save him. What happened next was totally unbelievable. He smiled at the dog took his parcel in his hand made a gesture like giving it to the dog asking, “Are you hungry?” The dog feared that he was going to hit it and backed a bit growling.

He took the parcel of half eaten food and kept it near the dog telling, “Eat eat”. The dog growled showing its teeth when he neared it. It looked at him puzzled and stopped barking. It still stood growling mildly. He said, “Eat eat” and backed up to sit and watch the dog. He smiled at it with his grey teeth. The dog looked at him for a while and then began eating. My train reached the platform but I didn’t want to get into it. I wanted to stay for another 20mins. I was not able to see him as the train obstructed my view. It suddenly began pouring heavily. My wife called me, “Honey, where are you? It’s raining. Why you are not home yet?”, she asked. “Missed my train honey will come in another 30 minutes”, I said when the train was right before me. “Oh ok da, take care, come soon”, she said and hung up and the train left. I saw him wash his hands in the rain. He was laughing and enjoying with no worries. He looked like a 5 year old who was offered a chocolate and an ice cream. The dog was gone I didn’t know where it went. He had taken rag cloths from his sack and made a bed for himself in a corner of the platform. He sat on the bed he had made for himself. The next train came and interrupted the view again. It was the last train and I had to board it anyway. I got into the train and looked at him through the window. He was smiling happily at the rain. Lucky guy a rain is good enough to make him happy I thought to myself. I saw the dog was walking towards him from the other end of his platform, with something in its mouth. It was not clearly visible as it was raining. The dog neared him and I was shocked to see that it had its pup in its mouth. It stared at the beggar helplessly and he smiled at it. He said, “You want to keep your pups here? It’s raining what else could you do”. With a smiling face he offered his bed and got up going to the bench. The dog placed its pup there and went to take its next pup. I kept staring at him as the train departed. Shame was all that I was able feel. Love is a language which can be spoken and understood by all living things. As we get civilized we slowly loose this language which we naturally knew.