THE LADY ON THE BUS
12:17 PM, route 39, NORTA. That’s where I saw you. More than
once. That is the route and time you must take to work. And that's what I used to take some days to reach school. You were one of the many faces I used to see
regularly on the bus. I remember you sat on one of the front seats. But what I
remember you the most for is your kind heart.
That day, like many other days, a young AA lady got on the bus with a child. She was probably not ready to be a mother –
mentally, emotionally, financially and, not to mention, physically. She was like many other
young mothers of the city, overwhelmed by the responsibilities of motherhood,
by the responsibilities of nurturing another life, another whole individual.
And while she did all that, she likely didn’t have enough support from her
family or husband (if she was married) or the child’s father (if he still was a
part of her life). She held her baby on her waist and got on the bus. The
driver naturally asked her for $1.25 for the fare. She couldn’t give the $0.25 of it,
I’m not sure why, maybe she was short on cash, maybe she didn’t
have change, I don’t know. But she needed a quarter. And you gave it to her.
You immediately reached for your little purse, for change, and handed her the
quarter. Did you know her? Most likely not. Did you expect to get those 25
cents back? Umm, no.
You and the other women of New Orleans are like women in
India, (some a pivotal part of my life), working hard, making sure your families get what they want, bearing the
hardships of bus travel, changing buses to get to work daily, giving their best
at work, returning home in those very buses and attending to the house work,
anticipating and sometimes even bearing husbands’ abuses and then getting ready
for another similar day the next morning. During all this, what keeps you going
is something I may never understand. What drives you to get out of bed and be
ready to face the day is out of the reach of my imagination. Maybe the day I
realize what this force is, I will respect you all even more. And that would
also make me feel more awe for the Maker who has presented you with the
strength. For such a woman, $0.25 is probably an hour worth of work. Giving it
to a stranger or an almost stranger with no surety of getting it back or seeing
the person ever again, is something that only the kindest heart can do. I
believe I have a kind heart and this gesture came as a surprise for me.
Thinking about this gesture even today stings my eyes and I feel a tear or two
flowing down my face. And I wouldn’t want this tear to ever stop shaping up.
I feel you can never be kind enough and that there is always
room for being slightly kinder. Also there are a million ways to be kind and
compassionate. You showed me one of those. I don’t know what your name is or
where you live. You don’t know me, may not even know I exist. So writing this
letter, which will never ever be seen by you, seems pointless. But I am sure of
one thing and that is my Maker knows the contents of my letter. And He will
definitely convey my feelings and sincere gratitude to you, in His own special
manner. Thank you so much the woman on
the bus for being so kind and caring, for showing me one newer way to be
kind, for giving something to this world, for having touched me enough to bring
a tear to my eye. I can never forget you, I can never forget what you did, and
I can never forget the impact it has had on me. I cannot tell how, at this
moment, but this has definitely contributed to the growth of my soul. I might
know eventually and that day I will thank you once again, for a specific
reason. Until then, all I can say is, you may not know how you touch someone’s
life by a mere act of kindness. So continue to be kind and giving. You are
terrific and please be so forever.
My bestest wishes for you!
Thanks once again. :)
