I was going to the cinema one hot
afternoon. In my hand was a small handy electric fan, which was a souvenir from
a friend. I felt the excitement of using the cute lovely gadget for the first
time.
Coming out of the building, I noticed
the old woman, who was a neigbour, sitting near the entrance looking into the
emptiness with no expression on the face. In my hurry I walked past without
greeting her. Feeling the scorching heat, however, I turned around and went
back to her. I gave her the electric fan saying that it would help her cool off
a bit and would also blow off the pollution from the passing cars. She thanked me
again and again.
Later that evening I suddenly
remembered that the fan would need recharging after a few hours’ use. I doubted if I
had done the right thing as I seemed to have created problems for her.
When I saw her again the following
day, I told her to leave the fan at the reception and I would help her recharge
it. But she looked at me with bewilderment; she did not seem to understand what
I was talking about. She might even have forgotten all about the fan. In fact,
I did not see her using it in the days that followed.
Somehow I felt sorry for not keeping
the souvenir, thus heedless of my friend’s kind thoughts for me. I could have given
the old woman another fan, a more easily manageable one.
Last night, I heard that the old woman
had passed away. She must have died peacefully and without much pain for she
had been seen in her usual place just a few days before. While praying for the repose
of her soul, I felt consoled at the thought of my friend's message expressing her gladness about having
also contributed to her slight comfort with the fan, though for merely a brief
moment.
