Did You Say Something? Part 6

Continued from part 5

She took out the money from her purse and handed over to the conductor. I was stupefied. I didn’t have the courtesy even to offer money for tickets. The rear half of the Bus was almost vacant. To save energy, the conductor had put off the light of that part of the Bus. The girl asked me to move there. I acquiesced. We took seat near the window. A gentle cool wind was touching our faces. Without hesitation, she took my hand in her hand. I was little tremulous, but didn’t take my hand away from hers. I didn’t think she noticed it. For me, it was neither a glee nor a gloom. The milieu was pleasant and decidedly congenial. For a moment I forgot that we missed our Bus and have to take another one. As the light was dim, I took advantage of that and tried to look at her. I could not see her face expression but by looks, she was certainly a bonny figure. We kept quiet for a while. She pressed my hand softly and said in a low voice. 

“What did you see in my eyes?” I was not ready for the question. So I used my discretion no to answer. Instead, I put back a question to her, 

“Why were you crying. You didn’t seem to be happy the way you handled the whole affair.”

“Why do you say that? Happy! Happy is a small word, I am extremely happy..”

“Why were you sobbing and then after started crying bitterly.”

“Why don’t you say, outlandish straight away.”

“I agree, very close to that.”

“All right I tell you that. Just seconds before I met you, I was very jumpy and tense. Things completely changed after I started talking to you.”

“But I take myself most ordinary person. You may find thousands of me everywhere.”

“Now listen! I explain it to you. As I told you earlier, every living being has been bestowed two important basic instincts out of many. One is called survival instinct and other instinct tells them who they can be congenial. Instincts always work if you are a unique entity. But we are not living like a unique entity. We live for our family, for our society, for our organization, for our country and so on. Our instincts are always there but they are compromised ruthlessly because of such an environment. When I saw you first, my instincts told me that you are not a harmful person and I can take liberty with you. These two instincts, when allowed to work together, can create unimaginable happiness. Though there is exigency to be back home for my family, I would have been a fatuous woman to miss such an opportunity.”

“You mean instincts always work and their success is guaranteed.”

“Yes without doubt. If they fail, you are no more a living being. Just think if your heart fails to pump blood, would you be a live person.”

“But I have heard people saying, my instinct did fail me when I needed it most.”

“Oh! People don’t differentiate between instinct and intuition. While instinct is a biological phenomenon just like pumping of blood or working of mind, intuition comes in our genes which can be recalled or refined through our experiences. The genes also thus get updated.”

“Sound, so simple. Then why people are in so much in distress.”

“Simple. They live in such an environment where these two instincts are invariably compromised. In a life time there are hardly few circumstances where you let these two instincts work together.”

“I wonder how a girl of seemingly age 20 can be so assertive.”

“For your knowledge, let me tell you every girl is precocious compared to boys. But so called customs which are universally meant for girls only, do not let them indulge in that God gifted virtue.”

For a diversion I asked her, “My question still remains unanswered.”

“You mean, why was I crying?”

“Yes, but you answered otherwise as if I asked why were you happy?”

“It partly answered your question. Those were not tantrums. I just indulged in my happiness which knew no bounds. Firstly, you performed beyond my expectation. Secondly, this was the rare opportunity in one’s life when instincts are let to work freely. And, to that why I was crying. Answer is, I just wanted to celebrate. In every girls psyche it is imprint, that they are free to cry whenever and wherever they want, but they can’t celebrate whenever and wherever they want. So tell me, how could I celebrate?”

“But things are changing fast now. Many times it is boy who is at receiving end. It looks that in schools, colleges and offices all the jobs are reserved, though not officially, for girls only. Elsewhere they are celebrities, bank managers, entrepreneurs, ministers and what’s not.”

“You are trying to dilute the real problem. It is not about boys versus girls or men versus women. I am not saying women are not well off. They have ruled the earth since eternity. Whether a man is king, minister, businessman, farmer or an army man; it is very well said that behind their success is a woman. She is called fair sex. All over globe, she is in every men’s heart, ladies first is not a local phrase but is universal one. Still she is not an entity based on which calculations are made. In man’s psyche it is imprint that she prospers because he is sharing his fortune with her as a favor.”

“What is the solution than,” I asked sheepishly.

“Again very simple, build your own fortune and share it with man as favor to him. We should show big heart at least as big as men boast of.”

“If it is simple as this, why is it not happening? Since beginning of mankind, it never happened, and I don’t see it happening in near future.”

“I told you the solution. It is not hard to implement. But no one seems interested in its implementation. Everyone is happy just about complaining. In reality they are happy in receiving favor from men and they don’t show big heart in sharing their fortune with them. You are right if this is the trend, I don’t see it happening in near future. Best example is poverty. Poor man is all the time complaining while in reality he has accepted poverty as his destiny. He overlooks innumerable examples of rags to riches.”

I was impressed with the girl. She is sharing her fortitude with me. Still better she is not doing it as a favor.

To be continued..