LOT TO LEARN FROM THIS OLD LADY - 255

 LOT TO LEARN FROM THE OLD LADY 

The usual busy traffic on the city road was beginning to tell on Ramesh and the  throbbing headache seemed to be getting worse each passing minute . The black coffee in the paper cup in his hand hardly seemed to make any difference as he tried maneuvering the car on the busy  highway .

Ramesh  was at a traffic signal and the old lady's repeated requests accross the rolled down window pleading-requesting asking and infact begging  him to buy the last flower bouquet in her hand , though a bit irritating  began to soften a bit after he had a second  look at the old lady .

 The lady was in her 70 s , Her dishevelled hair, darkly tanned skin because of long hours under the sun , her thin body frame,frail health  plus a striking resemblance to his own mother and as he still had time on his hand before his scheduled departure for Bangalore later in the night for an official meeting , made him  decide on spending a few minutes with the old lady .

He parked the car at a suitable and safe place near the signal and approached the old lady .

His first question was why , she , a seventy plus year old lady and by the very look of her  not in very good health engaged in this strenuous task of selling the flower bouquet . He also  enquired as to  how much  she possibly makes in a day for all her effort .

Her reply left him totally dazed . Her husband an alcoholic had deserted her soon after her marriage and their only son had also left her in the lurch as he  too was also like  his useless father and spent whatever he earned on drinks and gambling.  She made Rs 2 / - on each flower bouquet that she sold which on good days would amount to to Rs 50/- for her daylong effort .

This reply made him extremely sad . The beggers near the very same signal post were making much more money than her and that too without  much of an effort .

He told the old lady that he would love to have the bouquet  and offered the old lady a  Rs 100 /- currency note for the last flower bouquet that the lady was selling .

The lady sadly replied , " I do not have the change of Rs 90 /- to give back to you . It does look as if I have to struggle a bit more to sell the last bouquet today ." 

Ramesh asked her not to worry as he passes by that way almost everyday and that she could hand him a bouquet each time he passes that way and he would buy more once the money is exhausted .

The old lady s reply caught him totally by surprise . She said  " Son I cannot do that , as you can see , i am an old woman and that too not at all in good  health  For all you know , I could get the devine call this very  evening itself . I do not want to die owing someone Rs 90 /- if I can help it because I firmly believe that I am in this present state of all hardships now because of my misdeeds in my last birth ".

THIS REPLY LEFT ME ABSOLUTELY STUNNED, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE NO STRAW IS LEFT UNTURNED TO MAKE A FAST BUCK BY WHATEVER MEANS . 

HOW I WISH THERE WERE MORE OF THIS LADY S TRAIT  IN  ALL  OF  US                                            

                                                                  

        IN EACH AND EVERYONE OF US .