That Stranger

That fateful day, it was pouring heavily when I was scurrying about in a rush to cross the road so I could catch the bus home which would come any minute now. Before I realized what happened, I found myself lying flat on the road – pretty much like a frog squished by a truck – with my spectacles nowhere in sight. I could only imagine what I might have looked like over there, lying on my back, unable to find my glasses, my umbrella twisted in a very odd manner, realizing that my favourite bangle was now broken and suddenly aware of the various pairs of eyes staring at me, as if I was giving them some special circus show or something.  

Did I cry? No, I did not; but I would definitely have lost control over the stream of tears if any one of them tried to laugh. Gosh, it was such a humiliating moment!

Suddenly it stopped raining over me. It hadn’t stopped raining as such, but I wasn’t getting drenched anymore. Someone was holding his umbrella over my sprawled out self, trying to protect me from the rain. He bent down and helped me up, gave me his umbrella and set out to find my glasses. I must have cut such a sorry figure, that he apologized to me that my bangle was broken, and asked me if I wanted a ride home. I assured him I could manage to reach home without getting myself under the wheels of any of the vehicles plying on the road. He did not leave me until he saw me safely board a bus!

Known for being blind to the obstacles lying in my way, my family is not surprised that I bump into walls all that time. All these years, this has never happened to me in public and I was saved the humiliation.

Ok, now, he might not be a hero in your eyes, but for me he was. He saved me from one of my biggest fears – public humiliation, and for that I will be indebted to him forever.  He was my good samaritan. There have been others, no doubt, but somehow, this time I wanted to write about him. 

The prompt for this week’s Theme Thursday was “…good samaritans. Have you ever met one? Have you been one? ”