A common room. A place where all the stranded try to while away the time... waiting for the ever-so-late train.. A place where i learnt a lesson on life and choices.
Waitng... waiting... waiting..
I see an old couple, waiting just like I am. The man sitting, reading the news paper, and the wife sprawled, not in an undignified manner, besides her husband, her head on his lap.
I see other people. Many sleeping. And why not? Its 4 am after all!
Others, just like me, killing time...
But my eyes keep wandering off to this particular couple. Keeps tracking their movements if they change places. There is nothing special about them, really. Both in their early 70's, bedraggled just as we all are.
But it is what the old man said to us earlier that keeps repeating in my head like a broken record.
"God bless you", he'd said before leaving. "God bless you!" Again and again. Just the 3 words.. and shame fills me. Suffocates me.
You see we all are travellers, travelling to and from great distances, stranded here in this waiting room , waiting for our trains. Stranded and waiting, trying to make a haven out of this crowded place for those few hours.
Finding a seat just to sit, even at 4 am is a difficult task. We were lucky enough that a family just vacated their sanctuary for the waiting hours, as we arrived. We were even lucky enough so that two of us could sleep, leaving the other two to play guard-dogs.
As we settled in our new santuary this same couple trotted towards us asking for place to sit. Had i been the one sleeping i would have immediately sat up and made a place for them to sit. Not because i'm a model citizen but because they were as bedraggled as we were and looked very tired. I know what state they were in. Been there, done that stuff. But it was my cousin and my aunt who were sleeping. One awake all night, vomitting all the contents of any food that we had eaten and other tending to him.
The old man tried to reason with my uncle to give them place to sit. My uncle (at any other given time a your-most-model-citizen when it comes to doing what is right) retorted with a somewhat rude... "we have travelled long distance. just leave us alone" jesture. After a few exchange of words and a bit of glaring (and coaxing by the old lady to her husband "to let them be"), the old couple had to leave. But not before letting us know exactly what he felt of our model citizenship and humanity.
"You would let an old couple stand so that you young people could sleep comfortably?" --silence-- "God bless you"
And he left.
He was ofcourse right. But when it comes to that, the choice between our family and strangers is not really that difficult, is it? Even if our family is wrong. Right?
But shame on us. You see because the same old couple after trying a while finally got two sofa's and tried to take a nap till their train arrives. One on each sofa. but when another stranded passenger came along, the old man immediately sat up and gave him place to sit. I am sure if it was his wife sleeping he wouldn't have asked her to sit up and provide place for a complete stranger to sit. Or may be i'm wrong because you never know how people react when it comes to family or following principles of life. I can never guess nor would i try to. I know we made our choice. But thats life. Its all about choices, and right or wrong doesn't matter when it comes to family. But the incident still leaves me with shame and now i think does the choice we make really matter?
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