A Smile I won't Forget...

There’s nothing more amazing to see than the hustle bustle in a local train at the night time. When all the people are heading to their homes, which is the best time for vendors to sell clips, accessories, fruits, carrots, bindis, etc. to the several women on board.

After a tiring day of movies and shopping, you try to get into one of the ladies compartments somehow with the crowd, find all the frustrated people inside. Some frustrated with their jobs, some with their private affairs, several uncountable reasons… some even extremely happy and gay about many things… I look at each face and wonder what’s going on at the back of that mind… Finally, I think of myself, land up on a seat after a long wait…

A little girl came and sat in front of me. Around 6 to 7 years old (Don’t Know, I am bad at guessing ages!) She was one of the vendors, sadly! She sat with a big box of Bindis on her lap. She had a tiny black thing in her hand. I looked closely to find a McDonald’s balloon (Which McD had been distributing today to each order)

Some fortunate little kiddo must’ve thrown it around which got into this little angel’s hands. It was like a treasure for her. It was an unblown balloon, which she kept looking at all the while discovering something which I have no idea of.

Our eyes met and I smile dat her seeing how innocently she was cleaning the little piece of rubber. The best part, she smiled back wide. I’ve always known that my smile is too wide, but today, I met a competitor. Which ironically made me happy and desperate about the competition.

A long ponytail, a long frock on her thin, hungry body, beautiful eyes, a dusky hue to her skin, the little balloon in hands and the box on her lap.

She tried to blow the balloon and abruptly took it off her lips, hid it in her lap seeing somebody. I turned back to see who stole her smile and excitement. Found a middle-aged woman; all I could see in those few seconds were, big earrings, ample rage for the little angel in her eyes. I turned to look back at the girl. She hid the balloon, looked at the lady back in little lesser rage comparatively, or an innocent despise I would say.

The lady yelled at her to work and not sit idle like that. She yelled back, something that meant “Yeah, I’ll get back after…”. The lady proceeded with her accessories trays further. She smiled back at me, I did too! Nobody would NOT return a smile to that lovely, wide, pure smile.
The smile dissolved abruptly yet again when the lady passed by. She saw the balloon once, i am sure not for the last time that night. She must’ve played with it later at home, when alone… because she indeed values it that much.

Anyway, she slid it into a pocket in her dress, smiled at me, took the box and left for “work”.
She vanished in the crowd, I saw that lady a couple of times around. I kept looking for the little angel but in vain. Don’t know why I wanted to see her again, once… maybe I wished to give/get a few more smiles so she could forget her sucking job!! Huh…

I kept wondering, thinking what other people at her age must be doing, “blasting” balloons, watching cartoon network, sleeping on cozy beds, mom’s laps….

Not that they shouldn’t!! but such li’l angels (who I meet on trains) also deserve all that! Think of giving them one such lavish day and the smile on their faces after every li’l amazing thing they discover around!!

Priceless :)