The Meeting

It was dusk, and the threat of thunder showers had cleared the streets early.


Lakshmi shuffled along the darkened pavement, gathering her rags around her. She was diminutive, even for her twelve years of existence. She clutched tightly at a tin box which contained her day's earnings. Walking into a pool of light thrown by a nearby petrol-bunk, she sat down on the kerb to total up for the day. Five minutes of struggling with numbers later, she confirmed what she had suspected all along. She was five rupees short of meeting the daily target.

With a sense of resignation, Lakshmi knew that her father would use his belt on her again that night. But she had grown numb to that exercise by then.
Just the way she had grown numb to those pretending to ignore her when she begged for alms.
She no longer minded the shop-keepers who shooed her off impatiently, and the pedestrians who turned angrily on her, and even the people who refused to acknowledge her very existence.
She was past feeling.
Lakshmi was numb.


A car drove into the petrol-bunk and Lakshmi was caught in the glare of its head-lights. She looked up to see a middle-aged, bespectacled man looking preoccupied at the wheel.


Ravi tapped on the dashboard absently as he waited for the attendant to fill the tank. It had been a big day at office for him. After five years of slogging in his boss' shadow, his promotion had more or less been confirmed that day. Congratulations had started pouring in and a lot of back-slapping and banter had happened.

But Ravi had always hated his boss and his snide remarks, his sneering laugh, his pompous ways.
And he hated himself for sucking up to him.
He hated himself for ignoring other people to get into his boss' good books.
He hated himself for not acknowledging the security guard while leaving the office that day.
He wanted to be more receptive, open and frank with people, but had forgotten how.
Ravi hated himself.

His gaze rested on the grubby, filthy girl sitting on the kerb next to the car, with a tin box nestled in her hands. Their eyes met for a second...and lingered.


Poor begger-girl...Maybe I can make it up to the security guard here...hmm....yes, I do have a ten rupee note with me....

Should I go and ask him?....I might be able to get the five rupees from him, but...

.........Let her walk over to me...till then, I'll just pretend to ignore her.......

.........He's not even looking at me....Do I really need to be driven away again?....What's the use?.......

........She's walking away....Maybe she doesn't even beg to begin with...Darn! How pathetic can I get with people....Darn!.....


Ravi paid the attendant and drove away. Lakshmi trudged homewards.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.