It’s a bit past seven in the evening. I’m busy jotting down some ideas that I got after watching a YouTube tutorial about something.
I notice the two walking toward me.
The man, who is distinctly older than the older woman he’s walking with, has a mild limp. He indicates that he wants to sit on the bench.
I concede and move slightly over to my right after picking up my books and pens.
The man squeezes himself quite close to me, with more than half of the bench left vacant for the woman that he’s talking to. He’s quite sweaty, and the woman is aware of my discomfort,
She says, “There are no vacant benches on this stretch. So let’s go back.”
He retorts, “We can’t. It’s the evening. Someone would have sat on the one we were on. Let’s just sit here.”
“Let’s find some other benches, then.”
“But there won’t be any free. Maybe we can try over at the other side of the park.”
“Maybe I don’t want to sit. Let’s continue walking.”
“But I’m tired and I want to sit.”, as he progressively gets antsy. The woman reluctantly agrees and moves toward the bench.
By this time, I realize that I’m being pushed out of the bench. I request the man,“Could you please slide over a bit; there’s a lot of space on the other side.”
He doesn’t like this and he starts to get up. He looks at the woman and adds, “Let’s try the other side. There are too many mosquitoes here.”
The woman, visibly flabbergasted, says, “Why are the mosquitoes biting only you? That man is not being bitten. The couple over there at that bench don’t seem to be bitten. There will be more mosquitoes near those benches because of the toilet nearby!”
The man has gotten up by now and is slowly walking toward the toilet. The woman doesn’t say anything, and lets the man walk away. Then she makes her way to the bench and settles in and tells me.
“He’s so difficult to be with. Always rude. Behaving weirdly for some time now. Earlier today, we went to the tailor to pick up something given for sowing. I had already paid him. The man goes up to the tailor and starts yelling and calling names. The tailor later tells me, ‘Why is he like this? You are so nice!’ What can I do? I’m happy that he’s gone and sat away from me.”
I smile at her, letting her have the permission to go on.
“We just discovered this park. I didn’t know there was one so close by. It’s always so clean. Earlier, I walked all the way around the block to go over to the other one across the road. Then my doctor, who lives in the same building as I do, tells me about this park. So we came all the way around. I wish I had known about this.”
I tell her, “Even I discovered this park a few months ago. I have been living here for the last 6 years or so.”
“Oh really? How nice they keep it. Always clean.”
“There’s another one across this road.”
“Yes, I go there in the mornings. But this is so clean and neat. Tell me, wouldn’t there be more mosquitoes near those toilets? Why would he want to go there?”
All I can do is smile. She looks away, turns toward me and asks, “Where are you from?”
“What do you mean? I live in the building across the block.”
“No, I mean your native place.”
“Oh, I’m from Kerala.”
“I see. I have a friend from Kerala in that Tower. That one over there? He’s been asking me to come visit. Apparently, he has a charming bungalow with a swimming pool and a big yard. I should go sometime.”
She looks away after smiling. I smile and turn toward my book. She hangs around for a few more minutes before getting up and slowly making her way toward the benches near the toilet. She looks at me, smiles, and takes a couple of steps. Then she shows me a five-hundred-rupee note wrapped in her handkerchief and says,
“Now I have to go give this to the repair guy. I’m not going to let that man yell at poor shopkeepers.” Then she smiles, a big broad smile, and she waves at me. A gentle farewell and walks away.
Engayging Life 