It was just noon, or passed noon, i don't remember...i had this urgent need to have Pizza n the best reason i could give to convince myself to go for it was, i have to kill time before I leave for the University.Well, that was a reason, coz i had nothing to do between the important work that i had already finished with and the class that i was supposed to have some 2 n half hours later.At a crowded City like this, where every 1 seems to b busy all the time,its so hard to bare the joblessness even for an hour and that too alone. So pizza seemed to be the best deal, and i wud get a proper place to sit down n proceed a bit with my book.
So i lazily dragged myself at a Dominoes branch and be-seated myself consuming the maximum time possible,and ordered in a more lazed out pace...what..again i don't remember.I brought out my book A Thousand Splendid Suns, which i had just begun with and...
..... i couldn't read...a noisy couple with even more noisy kids rushed in, as if some one would take away their orders, steal away their seats and would make them remain hungry for the rest of their lives...I wish some 1 would have...though they didn't seem to be a least hungry in real,they ordered this huge list of pizzas n cakes n cokes etc...and made every bit of their act absolutely chaotic...adding on to the noise and confusion.When they were almost taking me over my nerves that the pleasant observation took me to feel stangely better and the good feel only increased by the passage of time.
2 boys, hardly 8-9 years old...i could guess coz they seemed to b of the same age to my nephew ...timidly walked in the restaurant...by their appearances i could make it,they were poor and i wished my guesses were wrong, though i am still not sure if they weren't ...it seemed to me they were some kind of labors...'child-labors'...their shirts and trousers were mud-stained and definitely not the stains that the kids would wear while playing..
They were as old as my own nephew but yet much ahead at counting the Rs 5 coins and the wrinkled Rs 10 notes that they fetched out from different corners of their shirts and trousers,as if they were the hidden treasures...where there counts ended i couldn't make out...it ended too fast anyway..
when it was over they pushed each other then walked towards the counter together, eyes down..lucky i was that my order number was announced and i went up to the counter myself...thrilled to b able to come nearer to the heroes of my story.i took out the bill very slowly though i could see my order right there, and took my time to check out the new items available...(which i was pretty sure would never be ordered by me, they were overpriced and i was simply not interested)..but my purpose were served...the lady at the counter smiled,herself surprised(since it was not a common experience to deal with such customers), asked the kids what is it that they would like to have...the boys answered in a tone that seemed to be King like to me and more assured than the chaotic group that had almost made me bang my head on the wall...they spoke up--"the one with the lowest price, how much would that be??"...the lady informed them that would be a 45, but 54 with tax. My Kings found it little hard to understand the tax business,they seemed to b confused...i couldn't help feeling heavy in my heart...how could i let it happen?? How could i let their confidence go low..??i hopped in their personal business and spoke up...it would be Rs 54,that's all.The lady at the counter understood why i intruded in,even she didn't want their enthusiasm to go low and looked at me with a sorry smile at the corner of her lips, as if she was really sorry to mention the tax issue and confuse my Kings, i think by then "our" Kings..she did her part and the boys took out the money...the lady counted exactly 54. I think they had Rs 5 coineven left to them...it was clear to both me and the counter lady that , that would be the first bit of their next savings.I was at my seat,but couldn't start with my pizza.The boys spent rest of their time wondering along in the world of pizza, the pictures dangling ..they looked at them, i could hardly hear them speak, but i almost understood what they were talking about..i believe they were planning...like- "next time when we have more money...we will have that." That brought a lump in my throat, my heart felt heavier,n tears wished to pop out. i controled.
They chose to pack their pizza.Most probably they had more number of people waiting back at home to have a rich bite from that small pizza..
.. i kept on thinking of them the rest of the day, in the bus, in my class, n in the train on my way back home.
The last activity that i remember of them while they left was how they took a plastic glass and most excitedly poured a bit of the cold water from the cooler n sipped it as if it was some rich wine...n then when they were done they knew exactly what to do with the glass, even more excitedly they opened the shiny "use-me" bin and disposed it...
when they were gone , my eyes went to the table were that rich and loud family sat...the left overs of the pizzas and cakes still their,scattered, the paper napkins floating near the foot of the table..."ahhh!! poor them...whatt a pitty!!!" i sighed....
the worker cleaned up the rich people's mess and leftovers...i had my food...i had to rush...i was late for my class...but i was glad my time didnt merely pass away...they were devoted to the 2 kids who made their place in my heart so prominently...my mud-stained Kings...
