Don't let anyone feel bad..

Its often true.."Howsoever tough times you face today..you shall always have a beautiful memory of it tomorrow"...
My heart goes back to somewhere around 1995...I will narrate to you a small incidence of my life.I was a student of the seventh standard at that time.I studied in St. Mary's Convent Kanpur.One fine day,it was declared in school that the buses won't be running today...some strike due to diesel rates increase and all!!(Yeah...it always happens..and general public suffers.. :)). Now,my school was some good distance away from home.It used to take me approximately an hour and a half by bus to reach school...No mobile phones in those days..No landline even at my place..and yeah, I was not a pocket money kid ;)Now the question was..How do I reach home? School ended at 1:30 pm...We all rushed out of the gates..I was an extreme introvert kind of a child..As of now, I think I should have consulted my bus mates as to how were they planning to go..and I should have joined them...But no...something extra ordinary had to happen that day..
I moved on..and yes..I should not forget to mention,I took along a class one kid with me as well..why?? Just beccause her grandpa and my grandpa were good friends..What would his grandpa think of me no...if I left that kid alone..So...no money..an extra person along..nervous..frightened I moved on..........
I knew the way home..and the means of transport required as well..School to Bada Chauraha via rickshaw..20 bucks..bada chauraha to gumti by shared tempo..5 bucks..gumti to govind nagar by tempo again...3 bucks..govind nagar to home by rickshaw...5 bucks..Hmmm...so it comes to 33 bucks..and yes,don't forget to double the sum for that grandpa's grand daughter I was carrying along!! Morals do crush your common sense at times!! It often happens with me.."How will he/she feel?" "Why should I hurt him/her?" These thoughts are like parachutes..they open up when you are in the air heading towards nowhere...
Well...back to 1995...I hired a rickshaw.."Bhaia...bada chauraha chalenge?" "Haan chalenge..bees rupaya lagega"...Confidently I boarded along with my bag,water bottle and Harshita..yes..that was her name...As we reached bada chauraha...I began feeling nervous...Now what? Where do I get those 20 bucks from?What if this fellow cuts off my hands and leaves me there to beg???Oh..Why didn't I call up papa at his factory..or my neighbour aunty..or why didn't I tell my teachers,my seniors!! :( Tears rolled down my cheek..and in a meek voice I said to the rickshaw wala "Side mein rokna..." There was a tempo standing there which I had to board next...I said to that tempo driver "Uncle,can you please give 20 Rs. to this rickshaw wala? I will pay you ahead..when I reach home..You will take me to gumti no? The tempo wala..a generous sardar..muttered some words..even that rickshaw wala did...and the first payment settled there..Whoosh!!!! I was going to gumti now...half the distance covered..The gumti tempos hault at the govind nagar tempo stand..from here I had to take a tempo to govind nagar and I owed the tempo driver 20+5+5 = 30 bucks...Now will the next tempo wala be so good?I wondered..that dumb harshita was annoying me now...Why the hell did I carry her along???Well, I again gathered courage..found a tempo to govind nagar and the driver was an old fella.."Dadaji..I don't have money." "So??". "Can you pay this sardar ji uncle 30 Rs.? I will give it to you at govind nagar..please dadaji..my mom is waiting at home for me :(" That's fair enough I guess to melt an old man....He took out the money from his pocket..and I heard them say "Kaise bacche hain..huh"...I was least bothered...I got a place to sit in the govind nagar wala tempo...I was heading towards home...I calculated..30+3+3 = 36 Rs......Should I throw this dumb kid out??Expresionless thingy..no better than the bag I was carrying on my back!! People have faces which resemble some or the other geometrical shape..square,round oval...but hers was a biiig question mark.....Uff!!
Govind Nagar!!!"Yes child...you gotta gimme 36 bucks..You will give it or shall I take you to the police?" My God!!!!!!! Now what????I told him dadaji,my house is in Barra-2, I need to hire a rickshaw from here to home...a rickshaw wala came there..he and that tempo wala dadaji were friends I guess..he called him by some name..he took 36 Rs. from him which the rickshaw man gave readily..and that old dadaji told him "Take these children to their home..and if they again start a story,take them to the police".. :(
He was so fond of the police!! yukks...bad dadaji...my grandpa is soooooo good..Well that rickshaw wala continuously kept cursing me and threatening me..but I was not that worried now..coz I knew I was not a fraud..I was going home..and I was so late...poor mom!! She must be so worried..There I could see Home.....with grandpa,granny and mom waiting at the gate for me...They were so puzzled!!Questions fired......"Where is your bus?Why this rickshaw?Where did you get down?Did you have money?" I assured them that I would explain everything..first pay off this fella...Mom went in and brought her purse..and when I told her that this guy needs to be paid 36+5 = 41 Rs.. everyone was shocked!! Why so much?? Where are you coming from? Are you all right? Eeeeeeeeee...Are they quiz masters or what...or am I in the rapid fire round...?I told them I will explain every detail...Just then.....guess what????????
That little dumb question mark who was with me as the heaviest burden I knew..fleed towards the confectionary shop!!! She took out a 50 Rs note from her bag and asked for chocolate and chips and what not!!! Damn it!!!! She had money!!!! and she was silent throughout the way...I felt like killing her...but I stopped..her grandpa would feel bad naa?" :)