July 21, 2011

Modern Righteousness

"I would consider water service to be a better option" said the guy in the black t-shirt who just walked into the tea stall.

The worker in the tea stall was washing the bike there with water and a soft cloth, the owner of the stall (and bike) behind the counter, fetching his customer some cigarettes and small-talking.

"Water service? Water service once a week will cost much more than an hour of Dilip's time" said the owner.

Dilip seemed to be unimpressed by his owner's comment as he frowned at him, squeezing the water out of the cloth, into the bucket of dirty water. He then dropped the cloth and took the bucket in his hand with much difficulty. "It should be tough on an 8 year old boy" I thought.

So, I kept the tea glass on the ground, walked swiftly to the bike, got on and rode it away, rock music playing in my head and adrenaline pumping through my veins. Hearing screaming voices of the owner and the sound of the thrown stones, largely muffled by the "wrrrrroom" of the 4 stroke bike and the pulsing blood in my ears.