The Smiles from My Shelf [12]
In spite of being a Saturday, it wasn’t easy to find a spot
for parking the car around the Government secretariat in the state capital. After
going around a few of times, I found some space just opposite to the gate of
the building housing the District Treasury. The doors of the elevator were about
to close as I was rushing in. A few people were already on the elevator. I squeezed
myself to the corner of the elevator near the door next to an elderly couple trying my best not to disturb them. The lady was anxiously searching her bag and was whispering
to her husband. He appeared angry and was trying to remain indifferent by uttering to her to let it go. It was apparent that the couple had lost something or forgot to take
some document necessary for the day’s transaction. Seeing the indifference of
her husband, the elderly lady reluctantly and hesitantly opened up to the rest
of us on the elevator as it reached the second floor. She suspected that she
left her smartphone in the auto rickshaw. I tried to reassure her and told her
not to worry as we can get her phone back in no time. But on reaching for my
phone, I realized that I myself had left my phone
in the car. However, the other two gentlemen on the elevator were also already
acting on helping the couple and collected the phone number from the elderly gentleman.
One of them tried to call the number and it kept on ringing but no one was attending the
call. We were wondering if the phone kept in the rear seat had fallen off from
the vehicle. All of us then went to the respective sections to get our works done, hoping that the call will be returned sometime soon. I had to run back
and forth a few times between the car and the 2nd floor office to
fetch the forgotten documents along with my phone. The Good Samaritan continued his efforts to reach the lost phone of the couple from his phone. Then finally, as he was standing
beside the cash counter, he received a call from an unknown number. It was from
the driver of the auto rickshaw. He had returned to the place where the elderly
couple had disembarked, hoping to find them and return the phone. We were all relieved
and happy. And as I was sitting in the chair waiting for my turn to go to the
counter, the elderly lady was passing by. She stopped on seeing me and said “We
got the phone back. The driver brought it back.” And in her tired eyes, there was a smile
of gratitude.
