My Unforgettable Character

I am a people person. That makes me someone who loves to watch and observe the human interactions as a silent observer. This snippet is about one such encounter with a stranger. He was a passing cloud in my life but flew by with a strong impact as a human.

It was a hot weekday afternoon in the month of May, technically, one of the worst days to ride in the bus. As life has its way, I am inside a bus that is thankfully empty. With all the commotion that engulfs the chaos of the bus stand, there appeared a man who got into the same bus I was in. This man is the protagonist of this written script in the memory of “my unforgettable character”.

The man was dressed in a hue of blue with cream trousers and sat himself next to the driver of the bus. He seemed to possess a charming disposition and greeted everyone with a perfect smile. He engaged in small talks and kept his proximity entertained. He brought in a sense of relief to the people with his enthusiasm. And then the inevitable happened, he looked at me and smiled. For a moment the time froze and my reflexes made me stretch my lips to the upward curve. It felt good. His impact was too strong to resist. Never before, have I realized the effect of a smile than this fortunate day in the month of May.

The stranger interested me for a reason beyond the obvious; the reason that I failed to possess his qualities. The reason that I have always distanced myself from people unknown to me and never had the inclination to accost any person for chit chats especially during short travels. Most of all, the reason, that I have been too self-involved with the worldly chores that has an individualistic pursuit.

It was not perhaps how appealing he was that attracted my attention, but the experience of his living. The paradox that he was not a young energetic guy of today who is so preoccupied with his mundane mores but rather that he was around 65years old with almost inimitable enthusiasm that made me feel he was a character; to observe, cherish and finally learn from – to smile with heart.