Aab has many lazy afternoons. On summer days the outdoors, particularly under a huge tree, offers the freshness of a soft lilting breeze that touches the drops of sweat on his skin and gives a chill which no air conditioner ever can. But the wind comes at its own will, there are no knobs, switches or remotes to control it. And that is what Aab relishes most – the unexpected thrill of getting a gift from nature. For nature does not send a bill for its services, it demands no security deposit or license, and does not choose only the rich or influential to grant its favours.
On one such afternoon Aab saw a bus screeching to a halt at the intersection of a small quiet lane. A lone child stepped out, steadying himself with the large burdensome bag strapped on his back. The bus sped away in a cloud of dust, and the child watched it till it disappeared from view.
Aab’s eyes were fixed on the little fellow as the latter turned 360 degrees on his heels to survey everything in sight. Then the boy began his journey homeward. A hop and a skip, a high jump to retrieve a wild flower from an overhanging branch, a series of kicks to a wayward stone, the boy moved with gay abandon, oblivious of the people around him. A journey that would have taken an adult no more than two minutes, became a fifteen minute adventure of exploration, activity, learning, and fun.
Aab immersed himself in the world of the child, regressed to a long lost childhood, and watched his every move with fascination and awe. Finally the boy’s mother came to the gate and beckoned him impatiently. As the little figure darted into his house, Aab slowly came back to the reality of the adult world. He once again became conscious of the mad rush, the fast moving vehicles, and the masses of adults who had all lost their childhood forever.
