I was at a 24x7 Convenience Store one evening, browsing through their collection of exotic dry fruits. I noticed a little bedraggled girl wearing a vest and knickers, with tousled hair ambling into the store chirpily. She picked up a loaf of bread and went toward the checkout counter. She was not tall enough to reach the top of the counter, and somehow managed to toss the loaf on it. Then she reached into the little pockets of her knickers and fetched out loose change. She handed it all to the cashier, who was indulgently waiting for her. He counted the change and billed the loaf. I had been watching her all this while, and as she turned to go I asked her what would she eat the bread with. She said that her mother had made tea and they would have the bread with tea. I wanted her to stay so I talked to her a little more. She told me she lived across the street somewhere and she had a little brother. I asked her if she wanted to eat something else. Her face lit up and she ran towards a shelf of snacks. She took a minute to decide and picked out a couple of bags of salted munchies. I added a couple of bars of chocolate to it and got it billed with my dry fruits. The little girl pranced out of the store happily and I watched her go. So often, we let the simple things pass by.
