The lady Santa...
The lady Santa....
It was Christmas time .. In fact it was in all probability going to be a white Christmas this year too...the pre Christmas festivities were already in the air.. Santas..gifts.. Stockings.. Carols.. Jingle bells.. Snowman Sleighs...Mistletoe leaves....goodies All around me.... All as if singing and swaying around us in a festive mood .. As I walked out of lab wishing all my lab mates a very Merry Christmas and happy vacations .. I could see and hear the warm greetings and wishes everywhere around me...I could see most of my colleagues and lab mates taking excited and expectant steps back home ....everyone seems to be looking forward to something ...there was an expectant hop in each step that day... I inhaled a deep breath and hopped into the green line T for my back home journey:. As I walked on I couldn't help noticing the expectant hop missing in my steps .. I smiled at the lovey dovey couple next to me in the train and as I squeezed myself away from them a bit ..trying to give them their privacy.. I started intently peering out at the lush green golf course... T was passing by ... I could hear myself sigh and just smile nostalgically peering out of the window...There was an old lady next to me .. I suddenly noticed she was very intently watching me.. She had a bag full of colorfully packed goodies in her hand and a sweet perpetual smile playing on her lips..as she looked on intently at me .. I was the subject of her soft continuous gaze for few mins I could feel her eyes on me before she bent towards me and whispered " missing someone young lady".. ? ... Caught off guard .. Almost startled I turned with a start and muttered " no not really !!.. " to her.. She smiled knowingly .. Again she queried " where 's ur home?".. To this I couldn't hold the brave front anymore I came around " home is India and yea I am missing home and my folks a lot today.. Christmas sort of makes me sad .. Every year:: this time of year is tough for me".. I added with a trembling voice and jerky smile to which she brightly smiled too and came around "don't worry we are in same boat.. I am missing someone terribly too"... Not sure what to say or do I looked blankly back at the old lady as she offered goodies to me and some other passengers with a warm Merry Christmas wish...the T was reaching its next destination I could see her collecting her stuff and just before she disembarked she turned towards me with a smile " I lost my only child my daughter battling with cancer on Day of Christmas last year.. I hate bieng home alone so here I am .. Call ur folks .. Feel loved and be blessed my child".. And as the doors opened and she got off the train . I kept on following her with her bend limpy walk till she reached the escalators and just before I lost her vision in the crowd she turned suddenly and looked back straight at me .. I was taken aback by the sudden eye contact:: and then she gave me the warmest smile ever with a wave of her hand and I lost her in the wave of heads climbing the escalators :. I smiled at no one in particular and in a reflex pulled out my phone from my pocket to make that call back home to my folks.. To my people .. But with a bright smile playing on my lips just like the " The lady Santa" I just met few mins back..
It was Christmas time .. In fact it was in all probability going to be a white Christmas this year too...the pre Christmas festivities were already in the air.. Santas..gifts.. Stockings.. Carols.. Jingle bells.. Snowman Sleighs...Mistletoe leaves....goodies All around me.... All as if singing and swaying around us in a festive mood .. As I walked out of lab wishing all my lab mates a very Merry Christmas and happy vacations .. I could see and hear the warm greetings and wishes everywhere around me...I could see most of my colleagues and lab mates taking excited and expectant steps back home ....everyone seems to be looking forward to something ...there was an expectant hop in each step that day... I inhaled a deep breath and hopped into the green line T for my back home journey:. As I walked on I couldn't help noticing the expectant hop missing in my steps .. I smiled at the lovey dovey couple next to me in the train and as I squeezed myself away from them a bit ..trying to give them their privacy.. I started intently peering out at the lush green golf course... T was passing by ... I could hear myself sigh and just smile nostalgically peering out of the window...There was an old lady next to me .. I suddenly noticed she was very intently watching me.. She had a bag full of colorfully packed goodies in her hand and a sweet perpetual smile playing on her lips..as she looked on intently at me .. I was the subject of her soft continuous gaze for few mins I could feel her eyes on me before she bent towards me and whispered " missing someone young lady".. ? ... Caught off guard .. Almost startled I turned with a start and muttered " no not really !!.. " to her.. She smiled knowingly .. Again she queried " where 's ur home?".. To this I couldn't hold the brave front anymore I came around " home is India and yea I am missing home and my folks a lot today.. Christmas sort of makes me sad .. Every year:: this time of year is tough for me".. I added with a trembling voice and jerky smile to which she brightly smiled too and came around "don't worry we are in same boat.. I am missing someone terribly too"... Not sure what to say or do I looked blankly back at the old lady as she offered goodies to me and some other passengers with a warm Merry Christmas wish...the T was reaching its next destination I could see her collecting her stuff and just before she disembarked she turned towards me with a smile " I lost my only child my daughter battling with cancer on Day of Christmas last year.. I hate bieng home alone so here I am .. Call ur folks .. Feel loved and be blessed my child".. And as the doors opened and she got off the train . I kept on following her with her bend limpy walk till she reached the escalators and just before I lost her vision in the crowd she turned suddenly and looked back straight at me .. I was taken aback by the sudden eye contact:: and then she gave me the warmest smile ever with a wave of her hand and I lost her in the wave of heads climbing the escalators :. I smiled at no one in particular and in a reflex pulled out my phone from my pocket to make that call back home to my folks.. To my people .. But with a bright smile playing on my lips just like the " The lady Santa" I just met few mins back..
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