A Fading Smile

I pressed gently on the brakes spotting the red traffic signal. Coming to a halt a 9 year or 10-year-old girl came to my window and pleaded meekly to buy a statuette of Lord Hanuman flying carrying Dronagiri mountain "सर ले लीजिए ना, बहुत सस्ते में हैं".

My gaze went on to a red signal telling me I had only 52 seconds left... Vigorously I fished my hands in my pocket and brought out the purse ...Inquiring the price of the statuette she replied it to be 30 rs. Having no change hurriedly I gave her a hundred rupee note. Her face grew long saying she too had no change ...Watching her sad countenance I told her to keep the change. Like a lightning flash instantly in the dark of night, her face turned bright smiling radiantly thanking me in reverence and waving me goodbye as I pressed on my accelerator seeing the green signal. The last I could recall of her was her face smiling in glee and waving to me in joy. 

As my car moved ahead I felt moved by her joy merely for what ..Let's call it for a profit of 80 or 90 rs. A surge of regret came in mind wishing I could have given her even a 500 rs note. Or even more in that hurried moment. But even if I had couldn't I had helped her in any other much better and proper way?

Later next day I had a vision of her smile vanished from her face like it was never there before, she standing there again in the blazing sun like June with a bunch of statuettes pleading .."सर ले लीजिए ना , बहुत सस्ते में हैं "