I am the kind of person that never likes to do things alone, I mean I am not saying I will not do it if necessary but I would like some company, if there can be. For instance, if there is a new place in town and I want to try it, I would want to go with someone and not just go alone, eat and come back home. But most of the time what happens is the people you want to go out with are busy when you are free and vice versa, especially when some of them have jobs that really stick them up.
Anyways, so about not hanging around alone; I don’t like that. I mean I have gone to places, sat and ate alone, gone to a café, and had a cup of good coffee alone too, but a given a chance, I’d like the scenario where I would go out with someone, have a cup of coffee/ eat/ drink and have a good conversation, discuss future plans, talk about the funny past.
These last few days after my recent travels have been very stressful, a lot of work but then to de-stress myself, I thought I’ll call up my friend and we’d catch up. But to my sheer luck, she’d say 5:00 and I’d say 7:00 or she’d say ‘Thursday’ and I’d say ‘Saturday’. In short there was no way we could meet up now. And apart from this friend, I really do not have many people here in this town right now, that I’d like to hang out with.
So, in the late evening, I headed out to an amazing ice cream parlour here. I sat at a corner stool, ordered a ‘Naughty Nutella’ and waited impatiently. Just then I saw a small kid sit at the opposite table, along with his, what I assumed, father. Immediately, his father stood up remembering perhaps, that he should order first and then sit at leisure. His son followed too running behind him, and when we he stood beside him, the kid, panting, said, “Oh, I got tired.”
I just couldn’t help myself. I started laughing, looking at the cute little, chubby child who was tired at running about 5 to 7 steps. I immediately recovered when my ice cream was brought towards me, and inside I was screaming at myself for laughing so absurdly. I tried to just vanish away, looking almost deep down into my ice cream bowl.
“What if there was a problem with a child, and I was being insensitive?”
It must have been not more than 10 seconds when these thoughts raced in my mind, and just when I dared to look up, his father too was laughing at this ‘cutest’ child.
“Oh, really? You tired after walking 5 steps, you lazy man?”
He gave me a nod of smile, and the child too smiled embarrassingly at me. He waved at me when he was moving to his table, and just like that I was relieved, pleased to know I hadn’t damaged anything, or anyone’s feelings.
Just then, I thought, it wasn’t that bad after all to go alone and have that chocolate ice cream.
Still, given an option I’d like to drag that busy friend of mine along.
Moushmi Radhanpara 
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