Poor man's pride

...And with those thoughts, he sat there, transfixed to the ground, clasping the object close to his chest, hoping the earth beneath would swallow him. Even though water continuously wet his face, he still felt the heat that engulfed his cheeks and body. He did not want to see the world and wished that the world could not see him too....

a few minutes ago..

And just when he was reflecting on how he would cope with this situation, his eyes fell on a piece of plastic that was now out of shape and partially covered with muck, lying near an open drain. As he rushed to pick it up he couldn't control his emotions on looking at the now distorted object. He felt crushed, dejected and helpless. He looked at the crumpled thing in his hand and then at the drain and couldn't help comparing himself with the dirt and sewage that flowed in the drain. "Is my value more than this? Am I not a respectful man?" he thought to himself.

a few minutes ago..

He stood there for sometime, still stunned by what had happened. Somehow he swallowed his humiliation and slowly picked up his cycle and inspected the damage, roughly calculating the costs. He knew that the repairs would mean either no food, or long walks in the sweltering heat for several days.

a few minutes ago

"@$@%%#$" "#%#%#^#^$!@" After making sure that their inflated egos were not compromised, they sped off on the motorbike. And people, who had so far enjoyed the events surrounding its principal characters, now suddenly realized their need to rush to their chores and left him alone - to agonize in his misery.

a few minutes ago

"SLAP!!" The thunderous sound quietened the busy road for a split second. His cheeks turned a deep red and even before he could open his mouth in protest, he was bulldozed by another resounding "SLAP!!" He couldn't speak. He held the tears that welled up in his eyes and looked around to seek support, with his pitiful eyes, from the curious onlookers who had now gathered to take part in the drama that would make their otherwise monotonous day somewhat eventful. But he soon realized that help was not at hand because he was not "important" for people to spend their time fighting for his cause. He was just an ordinary man, and knowing that anymore protests would mean more insults, he meekly withdrew his protests.

a few minutes ago

"@#$@#" "#$@^*" "Can't you see?" growled the pillion rider. The rider in the front seat joined him adding, "#$%^$@" "What do you think you are doing?" "But, I was on my side...," the man tried to say in his defense. "#@@#%" "Oh! so now you want to argue with me," the pillion rider said aggressively. "I'll hit you one tight slap and you will know whose mistake it is, you @#@$%#$." "Talk to me properly saa...," the man said. "I am not abusing you then why do you.........."

a few minutes ago

After a minute of unconsciousness, he found himself lying on the road, he and his cycle intertwined with each other in a way that it took him sometime to separate his limbs from the steel. Just as he was scanning himself for any wounds, he saw two men - a motorbike rider and his pillion - looking at him with expressions that turned from nervousness to anger.

a few minutes ago

He was jauntily riding his cycle, smiling to himself the joy that he would see on her face, the happiness that she would feel and the contentment that he would get from seeing her so happy. He felt good about being able to bring happiness to her, about fulfilling one of her long-standing wishes. To her, he was a hero, a man whom she held high in esteem. And he wanted to live up to that. It had not been easy, but he had worked twice as hard and slept many hungry nights for this. And today was the day for which he, and she, had waited so long. Her face kept coming in front of her as he slowly pedaled at the side of the road. "Oh I can't wait to....WHAAAMMMM!!

a few minutes ago

This was the first real gift that he was buying for her and he was thrilled to have it. She had waited for it for more than six months and now finally it was going to be in her hands. He knew that she was not very demanding and unlike others, rarely asked for anything. This was special and he wanted it for her. He had put almost all his savings from last six months into it and now that it was in his hands, he took a moment to admire it and then carefully placed it in his bag.

a few hours ago

"You will get it for me today, won't you?" she asked him in a voice that was mixed with anxiety, curiosity and apprehension all at the same time. He just smiled, neither confirming nor denying. "Tell me, won't you get me that 'talking doll' from the shop?" she cried again, this time with more emotion. Hari Ram, a factory-worker, who was working double shifts and secretly saving money for the doll, affectionately looked at his daughter and said ..."Yes."

Pls note: This story is inspired by a real life event that I witnessed for a fraction of a second: 2 men slapping a poor, hapless man whose tear-filled eyes caught my attention as I zipped  past him with my friend.