Few days back, I was having some peanuts at a bus stand when the man asked me for a peanut.
I said-“What?!”
He said-“ Can I have some peanuts?”
I was taken aback.
He said that hadn’t had peanuts for more than thirty years, so suddenly he felt the need to eat some.
I told him-“There’s a peanut seller, selling peanuts just around the corner. You can buy the peanuts over there.”
“I know I can, but I want to you give me the peanuts.”
Hearing him speak these words I moved away from him, and started walking.Maybe he was nuts.
Then someone called my name and I turned around to see who it was.
It was the same man, who had asked me for peanuts.
I-“How do you know my name?”
Him-“I knew it!”
I-“Knew what?”
Him-“That you won’t recognize me.”
I-“Why should I recognize you?”
Him-“I am your old school friend. We studied in the same school for two years and you would have peanuts which I used to bring in my tiffin box.”
I-“And you wouldn’t give it to me. Just a mere two or three peanuts and the rest you would simply gobble up.”
Him-“You recognized me?”
I-“Oh! Yes.The moment you said can I have some peanuts, that scrawny voice of yours tingled the brain cells in my mind. I immediately thought –“Where had I heard this voice before?” I looked around and though you have grown up be a grumpy looking man, your eyes and smile hasn’t changed much.”
Him-“So you recognized me and were playing a prank on me?”
I-“Meeting me after so many years, if you can play a prank on me, then I too can do so.”
His face fell down.
I-“Don’t worry old friend. I shall buy you a new pack of peanuts from the peanut seller.”
And thus, he cheered up a bit.
We had tea and peanuts, chatted for a while and then we got up on the bus, which we were supposed to do much earlier.
In long spaces of time, people don’t change much. Do they?
Adios!
