Case of Slipping Slippers

Today morning while waiting for the bus to my office I was witness to an incident. It so happened that there was this another guy who was also waiting for some bus like most of us standing at the stop.

The bus comes and this guy jumps on to the bus, in the process one of his sandals slip off from his feet. The bus has gained speed and this gentleman is looking back with a strange regret and hope in his eyes. Hope that probably some miracle occurs and the sandal flies back to his feet. But then we muggles cant expect miracles right? They are only for the wizard community.

Most of the people standing at the stop are staring in his direction and wondering poor guy now he has to buy again or whatever. Poor guy?? Probably because he was wearing a not so costly sandal to office, his shirt was loose, he was unshaved - all these indicate he is not in a position in his organisation where his appearance has any relation with his job. The other side even if he is not in an organisation makes things more difficult for him as he was clearly a man into his early 30s probably he has a family too to feed. A pair of sandal of 300-400 bucks for a lower middle class man can make a lot of difference.

My thoughts instantly went 2 years back down the memory lane. Besant Nagar beach chennai, Summers time(oh the best days of my life!!) just started we all guys have gone to the beach to freak out and we are playing on the beach when I notice my slipper floating away, I run to grab it but another larger wave swallows it and thats the end of the pair of my slippers. My friends asked me to leave the second slipper also there as it was of no use to me. No, I was very adamant I would take this back with me to the hostel it would act as a reminder for times to come and so it adorned my shoe-shelf the loner slipper for the next one year.

Coming back, as I too was a part of the crowd I was also staring back at the guy and then I, the hero stepped on to the road and pushed his sandal to the corner of the footpath so that even if he comes back he wont find it in a trampled state. Now all the eyes at the stop are turned towards me a couple of young girls even giggling off, people whom I might never see again. Within the next 5 seconds my bus arrives I board it and to my utter joy I see the person hopping back towards the stop.