Feeling Foolish

It was a couple of years ago, when I used to go walking to work. I was a little earlier than usual and I saw a guy walking in front of me, with a vegetable bag in each hand. He looked my father's age and I was in the mood to be useful. So I said hello, I'm going in the same direction, I can carry one of your bags for as much distance as I can. He initially said no, he didn't want to trouble me but when I said it was nothing, handed me one of the bags quite happily. We walked on, I found that he had retired the previous year from HAL after almost 40 years of service, told him about my academic background and my work etc. He was proud of his work and he was sorry for the entire IT crowd(PSU guys always are.).He was comparing the two sectors when a scooter stopped in front of us. There were a young man and woman on it and they addressed my companion loudly. I guess the guy was his son.The conversation was in MalayaLam and I felt like an invisible person but I could figure from the tone and the brows that they were displeased with something. My companion looked embarrassed, told me he would manage from there and took the bag from me without meeting my eye. I walked on, feeling confused and also a little sorry for the old man.

I felt stupid for some time that I may have put him in trouble but by the time I reached office, I was damn angry. There was only one way to get it off my chest - I poured it out in front of Rajani.Today somehow felt foolish again and I missed her.