The Good and the Ugly!

Today was definitely an eventful day for me. I read (something that is impossible for me to accomplish on any given day), I met some interesting people, I loathed the presence of some hypocritical pricks, and most importantly I laughed with a few friends. I laughed a lot, several times in the same day. Now that is something which doesn't happen regularly to me. I mostly sit like how some of the people WS quotes are 

"Now, by two-headed Janus,
Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time:
Some that will evermore peep through their eyes
And laugh like parrots at a bag-piper,
And other of such vinegar aspect
That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile,
Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable."

I guess I do peep through my eyes while I simultaneously manage to sit like Nestor!

I had the luxury of having company while I was on my way to the university and on my way back home too :-D

NW amazes me in so many ways. She is someone I can actually hold decent conversations with, without having to hold any reservations about anything in my mind. So we were leaving the university and got into a bus that was really empty. This isn't a normal sight for us. One can only imagine our glee at the sight of it. As the bus moved further into the city (yes, the university exists in some god forsaken part of the state), it started getting crowded. 

Suddenly NW said "Man if I didn't have this big bag I would have .......(trailed into mumbling noise)". After I tried to figure out what she uttered, I assumed she was having difficulty holding the bag. I said "Here, let me hold it instead". A split second later, she pulled out a little boy from somewhere next  to her (I didn't have any clue there was one there, because he was out of my visual sight) and placed him in her lap. I felt nice. I felt nice that I know someone who was nice enough to do such a thing. It is always a pleasure to witness such episodes in life. The boy, unlike most kids was super excited to be seated in her lap. A little later, what it seemed like was that he started coughing. I understood he was indeed coughing because, suddenly NW reached out for her bag and pulled out some Strepsils. She gave him one to eat and another for him to enjoy later. The boy was happy of course and held the other one in his hands very carefully. Sadly his dress didn't have any pockets to keep it in. NW was "the Good" in the title today.

A few minutes later, the woman (whom we assumed was his mother) started speaking in the local language. I quickly paid attention. What she said left me bemused and dumbstruck! Apparently she is the boy's aunt. She pointed to a lady sitting in front of us and told us that she was the boy's grandmother. She was wailing, sort of, in a very low voice. She said that the father of the boy had apparently taken the boy's mother and  two siblings along with him. From that day onwards they were unable to find the mother and the children. He seemingly took them along with him and left them in the middle of nowhere. I was shocked. NW couldn't wait for me to update her about what was happening (inspite of staying here for like almost six years, she hasn't learned the language. However she claims that even the mitti of the university knows her!).

The aunt added that they don't know if he killed them or left them somewhere or any other possibility that could have happened. At this point I felt bad about the fact that I could do nothing about it. Then the grandmother turned around to show pictures of the mother and the other kids in the family. She of course couldn't stop crying all through the way. The father, as it turns out, was and still is, blissfully lazing at home and remains unaffected! I spoke a little more to the woman and then they had to get off as their stop had arrived. This is what I call "the Ugly".

Of course, there is never a day when all events balance out each other. I was, once again, left with a pondering question in my head. Or questions rather.