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Walked in
So I walked into the room. I was coming out of a breakup. The first time in life I could not see a red flag. It may have also been a red hot sword into my heart. The pain also came as my friend who did it, knew all about me and still did.
The room was an interview with a passport officer. My office wants me to migrate work from a place in far north of our continent. So here I am ready to give the passport for renewal. My passport was gathering dust since covid. Fed up with changes in lifestyle and jobs, no travels and no visits, I had let it expire. In between I changed cities, ignored updating my id documents to the new address. The officer looked at me seriously , asked all the questions, accepted my reasons and asked me to wait for 15 days to receive a new and renewed passport. He was polite, to the point and detailed.
I turned , packed all my belongings and thanked him for his patience. He looked at me, a white chandan mark on his head and said "Thank you Ma'am. After many days I thought of my mother when you walked in. No one was ever as .. as her."
I was .. surprised as he was speaking in mono syllables and suddenly this. Yet I was not shocked. People have always confided in me but since last one month absolute strangers have started telling me I remind them of someone they cherished. They associated me with a pleasant memory, a moment in time that they felt safe.
One person much older to me, sitting beside me in a dental checkup said, "You transported me in time to a place when my father held my hand."
I stepped into the waiting area and smiled at my young colleague, who insisted in coming with me , early morning for my renewal, " No please , you are new to the city. I will come with you. You make us feel so much like a part of your family."
I am not sure I do though. I can not pin point even when I tried, what made her say this. I open the door and wait for her and the cleaning lady to pass through . The lady beams at me and with her slightly twisted palm touches my forehead. Reminded me of the gentleman I met in the airport, who waited for me to get into the airport taxi, before he onboarded his with his grand daughter. He gave his number and said, "Call me when you reach. You today.. reminded me of my daughter.. she was the warmest..."
The cab driver shared his life story, his little daughter who does not speak his language and his wife and mother were at loggerheads and the baby only spoke her mother tongue. Before I could add anything he said, " But looking at you today I am sure she will be like you. Even if she does not speak my language, like you don't, she will speak kindness."
As I stepped out of the passport office , I suddenly realised that my heart was not as heavy or as bleeding. The cut is there, but the universe walked in and took me in her lap with so much positivity, that I am also becoming an extension of her and her warmth.
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The room was an interview with a passport officer. My office wants me to migrate work from a place in far north of our continent. So here I am ready to give the passport for renewal. My passport was gathering dust since covid. Fed up with changes in lifestyle and jobs, no travels and no visits, I had let it expire. In between I changed cities, ignored updating my id documents to the new address. The officer looked at me seriously , asked all the questions, accepted my reasons and asked me to wait for 15 days to receive a new and renewed passport. He was polite, to the point and detailed.
I turned , packed all my belongings and thanked him for his patience. He looked at me, a white chandan mark on his head and said "Thank you Ma'am. After many days I thought of my mother when you walked in. No one was ever as .. as her."
I was .. surprised as he was speaking in mono syllables and suddenly this. Yet I was not shocked. People have always confided in me but since last one month absolute strangers have started telling me I remind them of someone they cherished. They associated me with a pleasant memory, a moment in time that they felt safe.
One person much older to me, sitting beside me in a dental checkup said, "You transported me in time to a place when my father held my hand."
I stepped into the waiting area and smiled at my young colleague, who insisted in coming with me , early morning for my renewal, " No please , you are new to the city. I will come with you. You make us feel so much like a part of your family."
I am not sure I do though. I can not pin point even when I tried, what made her say this. I open the door and wait for her and the cleaning lady to pass through . The lady beams at me and with her slightly twisted palm touches my forehead. Reminded me of the gentleman I met in the airport, who waited for me to get into the airport taxi, before he onboarded his with his grand daughter. He gave his number and said, "Call me when you reach. You today.. reminded me of my daughter.. she was the warmest..."
The cab driver shared his life story, his little daughter who does not speak his language and his wife and mother were at loggerheads and the baby only spoke her mother tongue. Before I could add anything he said, " But looking at you today I am sure she will be like you. Even if she does not speak my language, like you don't, she will speak kindness."
As I stepped out of the passport office , I suddenly realised that my heart was not as heavy or as bleeding. The cut is there, but the universe walked in and took me in her lap with so much positivity, that I am also becoming an extension of her and her warmth.
© All Rights Reserved
