Hunger - stomach and soul

An incident at traffic jam shines light on hunger

The traffic had come to a standstill.

Vaani turned off the car engine and took a deep breath. She was getting used to this pattern.

The daily traffic snarls had got worse due to rains.

Source - Photo by Matthew Ang from Pexels

But, she was also getting used to the standstill in her career. Growth had stalled and with it her compensation.

A single lady, taking care of her parents and navigating the turbulences of the world alone. Money was always less.

Vaani felt something was missing in her life, but she could not pin it down.

As her mind wandered away, her eyes fell on a little kid with tattered clothes and messy hair begging for money.

When the kid stopped by her car, Vaani tried to frisk her purse for some loose coins.

She had none, but she felt a deep desire to give something to the kid.

She opened her lunchbox and gave the banana to the kid.

Source - Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

Seeing the fruit, the kid’s eyes sparkled, he grabbed it and rushed through the serpentine queue of vehicles.

He showed it to his mother who was sitting on the footpath weaving garlands to sell.

Her face lit up and they hugged each other. Pointing to Vaani’s car, the kid seemed to tell his mother how he got the fruit.

In gratitude, they bowed to her.

The traffic cleared and Vaani slowly navigated through it.

A little tear trickled down her cheeks as a faint smile adorned her lips.

The kid was begging for money but sought food.

Vaani was struggling for money but sought satisfaction.

Money was just a medium.

Probably, few cars gave money to the beggar kid. Rarely, did anyone feed him.

Vaani fed the boy’s stomach and in turn satiated her soul.