Breadcrumbs

Everyday we meet hundreds of people - the ones who pass us by without a glance. But in those few seconds, we judge them silently. Without even us knowing about it. To those chance encounters...

Young college student

 

 I was rushing to catch the train. Of course I did not want to screw up with Ms. Johnson again, did I?

 Thankfully for a change the train was on time. I got in and grabbed the first seat. The only one clean enough. The three other seats were full of bread crumbs. Those filthy immigrants. They are everywhere. There was one standing  near the door. Looking like a homeless guy with a grey coat and a frayed baseball cap. He is even laughing to himself!

 

 The train has stopped at the next station. Good that there are bread crumbs on these seats. No one will come and bother me!

 

 There is another one of those! She looks filthy. Looks like water has not touched her in ages. God! And she is coming towards me. If she sits here, I will puke.

 

 She is now picking up the crumbs and wrapping them in a napkin. She put that in her coat! Oh my god!! She is going to eat it for sure! Man, can't she have something decent like a sandwich? These people!

 

 My station has come. Thank god. I want to run away from these disgusting creatures. When will dad give me that car? I don’t want to travel with these "people"!!!

 

 Homeless guy

 

 I cannot bear this any longer. The past few months have seen my fall. Just three months ago, I had everything that any guy could wish  for or even dream of. And to think that  I lost them all in a span of weeks. My job, Emily, my so-called friends. All these relations meant nothing after all. It is money.. Money that matters. I can hear my grandma's words ringing in my ear. She was right. As always. I thought she was crazy. And now look who is?

 

I noticed the young girl looking at me in a weird way. I did not know I was laughing to myself.. Of course, she is thinking that I am crazy. Hmm.. Life goes around dear. You will also feel the futility of life one day. One day, you will realize that all these hectic schedules and trying days are for nothing. One day you will also know that you have nothing to call your own. That you are all alone.

 

I have already started to forget my past glories. The BMW car which I loved. The summer villa with the lakeside view, the duplex apartment at the tallest tower in town. All lost in no time.

 

Today is the end of all of it. All of my hopes and despair. All of my dreams and nightmares. Today, once again I am in charge of my life. I am going to change it all. I am going to die..

 

The door opened and a lady got in. She seems to be like me. Maybe she has lost everything just like me. She might have recognized a kindred soul in me, because I saw her smiling at me. Although she looked like a homeless person, she seemed to have a kindness. A halo of goodness. She saw the seats near that young girl and is moving towards her. I can see the kid glaring at her with disgust. But the lady does not seem to mind.

In fact she is going to sit near her.

 

No.. She did not sit there. Instead she cleaned those seats and took those breadcrumbs with her…

 

I feel like crying.. I feel that this might be me in two weeks.. Or maybe even before that. That poor lady does not even have the money to buy a piece of bread to survive.. Months ago, I would have looked at her with disgust. I would have been like that young girl, turning my head in the other direction. Trying to ignore everything around me.

 

It is over now. I am getting down at the next station. I was looking for a sign - something positive to live for. But now, I have nothing to look forward to.. This is how it all ends. And nobody cares..

 

The young writer

 

It has been months since I got some inspiration to write. And finally I found it today. I found that humanity is the wonderful quality that we all have but always tend to forget about. I realized that not all is what it appears like. That human nature is unpredictable. That beautiful stories are there all around you only if you are ready to open your eyes and ears.

 

I was sitting in the metro when I saw a lady entering the train. It was the rush hour and the train was pretty crowded. There were three seats at the end of the compartment but they were not clean. There were breadcrumbs everywhere and nobody was ready to clean it up and sit. Better to stand and mind your own business.

 

The lady seemed to be in her late forties and was dressed like a poor homeless person. There were many blatant stares from the people around her. But she seemed at ease with absolutely nothing worrying her. She even smiled at some of them, especially another homeless guy who seemed to be very sad.

 

She then saw the empty seats and walked towards them. The girl sitting there was mentally throwing draggers at her for even thinking of taking a seat near her. She looked ready to jump if the lady sat down.

 

The lady slowly approached her and then suddenly started cleaning the seats! She picked up each and every piece of breadcrumb and carefully wrapped it all in a torn piece of napkin. She then kept it safely in her coat pocket. She was handling those breadcrumbs as if they were "Manna" from heaven..

 

As slowly as she approached the empty seats, she walked back to the door and got down at the next station. I was supposed to get down after two more stops, but instead I decided to follow her.

 

And then I saw that the other homeless guy had also got down with us and was following the same lady. I had this instant suspicion that they might be part of a group and that I should be careful with my wallet and phone. I made sure that they are secure and hesitated for a moment before following them again.

My curiosity was keeping me from going back to the station.

 

I saw that the lady was walking to an old church. I remembered coming to this church with Amelia once before. It was famous for its bells and for the charity service it holds every week for the poor. I guessed that they were heading there to get some food or shelter.

 

But I was wrong. The lady climbed the steep stairs outside the church and reached the courtyard. The light was beginning to fade. The golden sun had lost some of his glory behind the clouds and he appeared to be surrendering to the ever changing life. In those last rays of light, I saw the lady open the napkin and throw the crumbs around her with a laugh. I questioned her sanity, but only for a moment. Because, within that moment I saw that she was as sane as you or me and that in fact she had a kinder heart. A flock of pigeons came flying all around her, picking at those crumbs. And making her look like an angel.

 

I climbed down the steps with a smile on my lips and a beautiful story in my mind. I was happier to see the same smile reflected in the face of that sad homeless guy.