The Woman With the Umbrella!

It started drizzling when I boarded the electric train in Guindy. While I got down in Pallavaram, it was pouring. 

 

I waited inside the railway station, for a few minutes for the rain to slow down. I stretched my hands to feel the rain. I felt that it was slowing down. I ventured out of the station to climb the stairs of the overhead bridge. It started to pour again. I ran and took shelter under the sun shade of the window of the ticket counter. 

A woman holding an umbrella over her head stopped near me and called at me, "Come girl. Lets go together." I was not sure whether she called ME. So I looked around. She pointed at me and called me again,"Come on girl. Come and join with me". I hesitated and said, "Am going to Pammal." She answered,"Of course, am going to Pallavaram bus stand. Come with me." (One has to go to Pallavaram bus stand to take an auto or a bus to Pammal).

I didn't want to delay her any more in that downpour. So I ran to join her under the umbrella. I offered to hold the umbrella. Because she was carrying a bag in her other hand. We started walking towards the bus stand after climbing up and down the overhead bridge. I made sure that she is fully covered under the umbrella by asking her now and then whether am covering her or not. But she was such a nice woman, she pushed the umbrella away from her towards me and said,"Come on girl. You cover your head, first." I was very touched by her kindness. I still made sure that she was covered regardless of whether am covered or not. 

After reaching the pallavaram main road, I stopped walking so that she can take the umbrella back from me. She gestured me to keep walking. I kept walking towards the traffic signal and stopped there again, to find whether she is going to join with me to cross the road. She crossed the road with me. Now the rain has slowed down. She went, stood near an auto from which the driver was shouting "Pammal, pammal" and looked at me. I handed over the umbrella to her and said,"Thank you, Mam.I am going to Sankar Nagar. So, I have to cross to that side of the road to get an auto to my home." She smiled at me and said,"Ok. bye."

I got a share auto as soon as I crossed to that side of the road. The whole incidence has taken me by surprise.

Some of the questions that kept popping up in my mind all the way from Pallavaram to my home were:

Why should that woman choose me to take her along with her to the bus stand?

Why didn't she call anybody else in the railway station?

Why did she push the umbrella towards me knowing that she would get wet by doing so?

Did she know me? But I don't remember having seen her ever. She didn't look like a frequent traveler. She didn't look like a working woman.

Suddenly I realized - "What goes around comes around."

I remember I shared my umbrella with another girl who was standing in the traffic signal, while it started raining. I remember that I lent a helping hand to a mother who was carrying a heavy bag climbing up and down the overhead bridge. She was finding it difficult to carry the bag because she was carrying her little kid on her hip. I don't want to list the good things that I did. But I definitely understood that "As you sow so shall you reap."

Not just the good deeds. Bad deeds, also.

I am not a saint. I am not perfect. I have done bad things and received the same back. And trust me THAT experiences have made me a better person. 

Don't you agree with me that we learn from our mistakes?

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer