MORAL STORY

                            "SUNSHINE ON A FOGGY MORNING"

“Get up! Get up! Just forget about everything that is around you and gather all the strength to raise your head up from the bed! Yes! Yes! Yes! Voila! You did it” cried my inner voice that only mingles with me when I am somewhere between subconscious to conscious state and that voice faded away when I was awake.

Oh my goodness! This happens to me sometimes even when I know that I am actually awake, I can actually see the things around with a blurred vision but I am not even able to move a limb of my body a bit. This felt as if like a long-haired dirty witch flew into to my bedroom when I was asleep and cursed me to turn into an elephant with the strength of an ant. I never asked anyone about this creepy phenomenon because some freaks would just go on and give me a superstitious explanation to freak me out.

Whatever, the weather was so gloomy outside with so much fog in the air and the cold breeze that whistled through the broken hinges of wooden window made feel so tempted to curl myself back into the fluffy woollen blanket. But God, why winter?  It made me so cozy to stay all the day and night at bed. I wished I could wake up with smiling crimson sun shining on my face. I missed the summer so much. I missed the sunshine on this foggy morning.

“Oh Great! Our Majesty Her Highness has reached punctually 15 minutes late” mocked Suzanne, the owner of Annie’s Bakery as she heard the creaking noise of the door whilst I entered.  “I am sorry! You know the…” I began and she interrupted saying “Yes, the door was totally jammed when you entered the bathroom, you yelled for someone to come over and break the door. Then when you got down, you saw…”

“It’s so cold! I was so lazy to get up. I am sorry” said I, concluding it easily.

“Well, that was a reasonable one my dear Andy” she said grinning at my honesty.

She was as warm as my fluffy blanket. I knew she loved and cared for me so much. After all, where there were many pastries and cream cakes in the bakery there was no space for bitterness. Annie, her mother who started the bakery taught her how ‘Love’ was the major ingredient in every recipe. But sadly, Suzanne never had any children to extend her love or care and in my case, it was the opposite. My mom died when she gave birth to me. After all, Suzanne and I was a perfect match.

Today, Suzanne gave me a couple of Annie’s Special Apple Pie and a box of chocolate croissants to be delivered at House No.23, 2nd Block, and St. James Park Area. It was while I was waiting for the bus that a long bearded man with a Muslim cap on his head, wearing white pyjamas and black leather jacket on top of it came to sit beside me in the bus stop. The long scar on his face really frightened me. Something said that something was not going to be alright. I wished the bus had come soon. But, I had to wait for another 20 minutes to catch the bus to St. James Park Area. I flicked out the tiny book of Adventures of Tom Sawyer from my pocket to escape for a while to the witty and adventurous world of Tom Sawyer.

“Goddamn! I have drooled all over my jacket. I shouldn’t have slept. Now, where is my book?” I asked me when I was searching for my book with my eyes half open. “Thank God! There it is.” I sighed finding it kept over the black jacket which was on the bench. I saw the bearded man getting into the bus in front of me. “Hey, you forgot your jacket!” I shouted but the bus drove past and he didn’t mind me at all. All of sudden, next bus came in. I grabbed the apple pies, chocolate croissants and took a stride into the bus. It is then I realised I have also taken the black jacket with me in a hurry. Anyway, I had no choice but to follow the bus in which he is in and I would give back his jacket while he gets down at the next stop.

But, something unfortunate happened. The bus he was in turned to the left at McCarthy’s Junction.  Just as my bus drove forward, the traffic signal went red, the bus came to halt and I was totally stuck. I thought of getting out of the bus but then that would be a fruitless effort if did. I sat still in the bus not knowing what to do.

Finally, I got down at St. James Park Area. I didn’t notice the time fly away whilst my thoughts were totally immersed in this crooked black jacket. Certainly, I knew the day was not good at all. I was going to get into a lot of mishaps. All Right, I tried to resolve this problem by concluding that when I get back to the bus stop from where I started my journey, I will keep it back at the exact place from where I took it.

I rang the bell thrice at House No.23, 2nd Block, St. James Park Area and not a person showed up to open the door. I looked through peephole and tried placing my ears on the door to sense even the slightest hints of footsteps that can be heard. Once again, I must have misheard the address of the house wrong.

The door opened. “Home Delivery from Annie’s Bakery” I said when I saw the charming face of a 70 years old granny. “Oh Yes! I have been waiting for you for a while” she said.

“I am really sorry for being late” I apologized and continued “You have ordered for 2 Annie’s Bakery Special Apple Pie and a box of Chocolate Croissants. Isn’t it ma’am?.”

“Oh Yes, it is.” she agreed and continued “It was my sweet daughter who ordered it but she’s gone out for a while” she explained with her charming smile.

“What’s up for today? Any celebration? None of my business though, just interested to know. “

I enquired and she said “Oh Yes! Today is going to be our 47th Wedding Anniversary. The wonderful 47th year with my sweetheart.” she said with a bride’s shyness on her face and I blessed “Oh I see! Long Live both the loving souls”.

“Amen” she said. She paid me the money and I started to leave when she interrupted saying “Excuse me, isn’t it Mr.Ali’s jacket?”

“Mr.Ali? I don’t know. A bearded man forgot this from the bus stop at Downtown Alley and I was following him to return it.”  I said being totally puzzled.

“I know! It’s Mr.Ali’s jacket. He was our chauffeur. He worked with us for 20 years.  I had never seen such honest and loyal person in my life. It’s Mr. Ali jacket. He wears it every day during winter.” she said emotionally.

“That’s great news! I didn’t know what to do with this jacket. So, may I leave this with you and you can give it to him anytime he comes” I said with a great relief and she continued “Well, I am afraid if I could do that because he will be leaving by today’s flight to Morocco to reunite with his family forever.” Then, I was absolutely petrified.

“So, What I will I do with this?” I asked her and she said “I guess this jacket is troubling you a lot, eh? Don’t worry dear, give it to me. I’ll see what I can do”, like a reflex I uttered “Thank you so much ma’am. That is very kind of you” and a bit of paper fell out of the pocket of jacket while I was handing over the jacket to the charming granny.

I picked it up and read “I am leaving my jacket and your book that fell down while you were asleep, over my jacket. Take this jacket along with your book and give this jacket to any homeless person who is really in need of a jacket. Thank you.”

The charming granny said “Oh My! Ali! He never burdened himself with even a pound of anything that doesn’t need. He was man with no such undesirable desires. A simple man.” And she continued “So, now you know what to do with it. I hope the problem is solved” she smiled so beautifully that I almost felt that the winter has gone and spring blossomed.

Now, when I waiting for the bus to return to Annie’s Bakery, a whole process of paradigm shift was taking place about that long bearded man with Muslim cap and a long scar on the face. The generous, honest and loyal – Mr.Ali. It’s true that handsome is as handsome does. There was whole new sunshine that I experienced when I covered a homeless, poor lady, with a crippled leg with this black jacket and also when I gave her a chocolate croissant which the old granny told me to donate with along with black jacket. May be Mr.Ali’s generous character was passed onto to the old granny and then it was passed onto me. I wished Mr.Ali’s kindness spread all over the world like an epidemic.  First time in my life, I watched the sunshine on a foggy morning.

–END–

                                                                                                    SOURCE BY-ABDULLA KM

PUBLISHED BY-OURHELLO.COM