A stranger ‘Uncle’ smiled at me and it brought tears to my eyes.

I like how every elderly seamlessly become an uncle or an aunty in India. Just the other day I was returning from work. I stood at a bus stop, pondering what a beautiful contrast this random bustop of Andheri, Mumbai was. On one side I could see a lush green hill of Mahakali caves, right in front of me. A small foot over bridge coming straight out of the forest and onto the highway, looked like one of those Studio Ghibli charmer, old city features. On the other, there were repair shops; and a lot of dust and dirt blowing in my nose and eyes every time a vehicle passed. If a truck passed my ears had had it too! The bus stop was a single pole with a placard of bus numbers. No safe landing, no shelter. If you bent forward to see which bus was arriving, you could lose your head to a zooming car. There was an old man already waiting there. Short, lean, completely white hair, decently dressed in a light blue shirt, not tucked in. Full sleeves cuffed at the wrist and below khaki pants. He wasn’t the rich kind, someone who probably worked very hard in his younger days, may be has a decent life now and still carries that agility in his ageing bones. while I was trying to trace my ever decreasing, literally on the verge of extinction, ‘Best Bus’, thanks to the chalo bus app, my eyes were, at one time glued to my screen. And I missed looking at the bus that had just zoomed past. On seeing my failed effort to search for a bus number at its rare end, the uncle spoke up, “seepz depot”. I did not understand and gave a “huh?” he repeated same again, in a very coarse voice and half eaten sentence. Which of course I did not understand. Alo I couldn’t understand if he was asking me something or telling me. With the same confused and irritated look on my face I gave him a half ‘ok’ and half ‘whatever’ kind of a nod. After some time, I was truly irritated. The App said my bus was supposed to start at 2.30pm whereas it was already 2.40 and there was still no sign of the bus leaving its depot and my stop was easily 15-20 minutes away from the starting point. So, my brain started doing the math, of the amount of dust and dirt I would now be breathing extra. In that moment I realized what this uncle was trying to say. I felt stupid and sick. In an effort to cover up my rudeness I went to him pulled down my nose mask and asked him where he wanted to go. I realized he and I were both waiting for the same bus. I quickly checked my phone again and told him the bus will be here in 5 mins, be ready. As the bus came in yet another 7 mins, I looked back at him and signaled that our bus was here. I let him board first. Then upon getting in the bus, the conductor says it won’t go up till my destination, nor the uncle’s. it would stop a good 7-8 stops before our destinations. But what choice do you have? Going halfway ahead is better than not moving at all. At least we had seats. Him on the Sr. citizen side. Me on reserved for women side. So, we got lost in our own windows and me in my music. After some time, a lady sat next to me while her young daughter sat on the opposite side. I pointed her to an empty window seat ahead of us. She said ‘no its better this way, at least she won’t stick her hand out of the window and I can see her. Then the person sitting next to the uncle got up and left. Instead of moving to the window seat he let the girl come ahead and sit next to him. The mother looked relived. Something about this stranger uncle’s vibe didn’t scare this mother’s gut. Eventually the whole bus got empty at this un-destined stop. The uncle had already gotten down along with the crowd. As I got down the bus, with that worried-irritated face of mine again, I strained my neck to see if there was any bus available in the traffic, that would go my way. The uncle soon pooped up from the crowd and signaled me to the bus that would take us all the way up to our destinations. He didn’t know my destination but figured out that it was in the same direction. This time he let me board first. He got a place to sit. I stood for a while and soon got a window seat. Soon we were lost in our worlds again. “Maanpada!!! Maanpada wale pudhe chala” yelled the conductor and uncle and I both realized his stop was here. I looked past my neighbor in his direction; he clumsily got up. I turned away to my window, in a blink, realizing “no it isn’t stupid to look at him and acknowledge the end of our smallest co-traveler-ship.” I turned again just in time to meet his eyes, that were already ready ‘without a doubt’ to acknowledge me. We both nodded and smiled at each other. And he got of the bus. And I kept thinking. Somewhere perhaps he must have a granddaughter like me. And somewhere perhaps in the heavens is my grandfather like him. in that moment I my eyes welled up and my throat was choked, full of emotions I realized I still carry after almost twenty-two years. Realizing that my grieving was still not complete. Realizing, this is how simple it is to spread empathy, happiness and smiles in this world. Realizing that I am still not ready to give up on humanity. And then my stop came and I got of the bus. Walking towards my building, debating in my head if I should buy hot fried wadas or no. I didn’t. Pat on my back for that. Goodbye.