On a humid afternoon I was sitting with my mum in a juice shop and drinking sweet lime juice, when a weary-looking old woman approached us for alms. My mother as usual, like most people, said, “ Change illa ma ” (No change) and looked away.
She moved on to ask another young woman for alms. I expected her to do the same and shoo her away but to my surprise and awe she asked the old woman, “Juice kudikireengala ?” (Will you drink some juice?).
The old woman was taken aback by surprise and had the same expression as mine. She was overcome with gratefulness and relief, and nodded her head graciously. The young woman made her sit on a chair next to us and bought her an apple juice. The old woman took the juice from her hand with a tear in her eye probably because she had never been treated like this before. I couldn’t help but stare at the scene with a smile on my lips! It was like a scene taken out of a movie! I felt this unusual happiness and joy, but also a pang of guilt hit me for how inconsiderate I was. I went to bed that night thinking. Relief and contentment filled my heart knowing that people like that young woman still exist, otherwise our world would be a lifeless, concrete jungle!
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