This touched us a lot

S, my wife is a rather impulsive and whimsical woman, who has always liked what she has done. And incase, she did not like what she was doing, she just does as she pleases, no matter the consequences.

Anyway, since my mom’s birthday is next weekend and we being (or rather pretending to be) very busy people decided that we would go and have a look at some options for a nice suitable gift a week in advance.

Now, buying a gift for my mom is not the easiest task in the world. Most of my previous gift buying experiences have resulted in disasters right from shopping for one, then gift wrapping it and then finally to be told by my mom that I have not spent the money very wisely. Well, mothers, in fact most women, always know where to get a better deal on any product, the intrinsic worth and where the item can be purchased to meet their own (W)ISO requirements.

So, after watching an old classic - Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master in the afternoon, I was dragged by my wife to go shop for a suitable gift for mom. It started off with an argument over which car to take. As always, since the woman has the last word, we decided to take the car that she felt like sitting in while I was left to fend off the fury of the Sunday evening traffic. We had just reached Lifestyle, when the parking line to enter scared us off. Moreover since I was running low on fuel we decided to fill up and then move to our next destination. And that’s when my wife had a brain wave. She pointed out that mom loves her swing and it is high time that we change it as it had served it’s time. So off we went to Shivajinagar after parking on Infantry road.

We had just reached our 3rd shop, when the wife loved the design of the one of the swings and then let loose a barrage of questions all of which were answered rather calmly by the shop keeper. Satisfied that it meet her (W)ISO requirements, she was about to begin bargaining on the price when she spotted something that she had been wanting for a long time – a pair of Cane chairs for the entrance lobby of the apartment. So the whole (W)ISO quality testing happened once more and she decided that they were a good buy provided the shop keeper met her reserve price, which he did after a whole lot of haggling.

So the decision was made and I was left a whole lot poorer & wiser about cane furniture. Anyway, we then asked the shopkeeper to send a hamali to lift the 3 items till the car. He disappeared into the shop next door and then re-emerged with another smaller bearded man following him. He informed us that he would carry all the purchased items across to the car and signaled to him that we would give him a hamali fee of Rs. 20.

That was when we realized that this guy was unable to speak and were taken aback a little bit. He then manfully picked up the entire load by himself even though I offered to lift one of the items for him. But he brushed aside my help and picked it all up ready to go.

Adding to the whole Sunday evening traffic mess in the densely over populated Shivajinagar was the light drizzle. But he managed really well to keep pace with us all through and side stepping all that traffic and other obstacles that came our way.

The wife and me were a little worried about him and kept assuring him that the car was just around the bend though it was really long way off. But he seem to be content with the knowledge that he would get Rs. 20 for his efforts at the end of it all.

While approaching the last few meters I walked up slightly faster to open the car and spread an old bedsheet that was in the boot. I quickly spread out the sheet. This chap however proceeded to smoothen out the spread and then put the swing & cane chairs on to the seat. And they seat did not get dirty one bit.

The wife and me agreed to give him an extra ten bucks for his efforts. And that is when his face lit up and he folded his hands in thanks. He seem to be delighted in just that extra ten rupees that we gave him even though he had not bargained for it.

He then simply walked back to his shop with that glow on his face. Wife and me were left feeling rather uncomfortable though we felt that we had a good bargain on those chairs and a suitable gift for mom.

I cannot explain the rationale behind that feeling. Nor can I explain the why should it make us a difference. But I guess that in life you do come across such circumstances and they leave you wondering about life and you ask yourself the Question – But Why……………..???????????