When I left for work this morning, an old man was standing outside my house. He smiled as I walked past and asked me where I was going.
"Office"
"And where is that?"
"Connaught Place"
Normally, most of my neighbours are strangers to me -- even if they happen to be residents of the same block of flats.
I am one of a breed of laptop-loving asocial beings, for whom the four walls of a house are like cocoons spewing forth humans, only to accept them back when they return from office.
But this stranger, who seemed like a harmless little man in his seventies, continued to address me as if I were a long-lost friend.
Suddenly, he raised his right arm in the air as if to strike me and started mouthing obscenities.
Taken aback, I smiled, took a few steps back and then continued on my way. As I reached the colony gate, I looked back and saw the old man still mumbling, his right arm still outstretched in the air, a frailer version of the Statue of Liberty.
I am not sure what was wrong with him. Perhaps, he is suffering from Alzheimer's. Maybe he mistook me for some former office subordinate who had irritated him.
Whatever the reason, I wondered why no one from his family was near him, why he was left free to prey on unsuspecting visitors, and did he even have a semblance of normal life?
I am not sure I want to know. The next time I meet him, I may not stop to chat. Will you?
(For more snippets from Toe Knee's life, keep reading his blog)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
I don't believe in stereotypes but some of the things in the following 'forwarded email' do ring true. If you are Bengali , you ...
-
Click here for the Richard Gere - Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy Footage of Shilpa's Showgirl routine on Day 20 ALSO READ Shilpa in ...
-
In her post-eviction interview with Davina, singer Jo O'Meara says she can't be a racist person because her cousin is married to an...
-
Been extremely busy and sorry for the delay. Have clubbed together the best blog posts between May and September and hope to resume the mont...
-
- when I am eating Hot Chocolate Fudge. Yumm!
-
Chronicus Skepticus wonders if all 33 million Hindu gods are deaf Krish Ashok comes up with a Facebook mini-feed for the Mahabharata Falst...
-
In the years to come, I hope Imtiaz Ali 's " Tamasha " will be remembered for more than just introducing legions of Bolly...
-
Being a fan of modern plumbing, I am usually not too keen to spend time in 15th-century forts. But heritage hotels are different and an off-...
-
An Unsuitable Boy by Karan Johar My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked up Karan Johar's memoirs on a whim during an Amazon e-book sale, an...
-
Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the O...
V strange really, and I thought weird things happened only to me! Surely wdnt stop to talk, you'e right. But Im sure if he is around, he must have a family! Alzheimer's disease is tough, and ones you have cared 4 all along dont want u any longer. Like they say, laugh and the world laughs with u, cry and u cry alone. Its true. Or at least when u cry, u get to know the people who really care abt you.
ReplyDelete