Ola Friend

Rakhee was in a hurry to reach school as it was getting late. She hurriedly packed her son's lunch box and stuffed some rotis into her box. She started draping her saree and somehow managed to wear it and booked the ola auto. While she combed her hair, she told her son to wear shoes and quickly tied her hair into a ponytail. She saw her cell to check for the auto which showed 2 minutes to arrive. She thought she would drink a cup of water, but then dropped the idea as it would take at least 2 minutes to lock the door and come out of the house. She took the keys and locked the door. She was about to sit when she heard her son complaining that she had not put the water bottle in his lunch bag. She saw the watch, it was 10 minutes to 8, no way, she could go unlock the door, get her son's water bottle, and lock the door, it would take at least 5 minutes, that means she would be late to school again. She changed her mind and gave her bottle to him and somehow convinced him to manage. Rakhee told the ola auto driver to speed as it was getting late for her. The ola auto guy sped without replying her. In the auto, she opened her box to have a bite of roti, she realized she had forgotten to put the curry in her box. She immediately closed her box and checked for her son's box and felt relieved that it had the curry. She murmured to herself that from tomorrow she would get up early so that she could have the breakfast and leave home. The ola auto driver smiled at himself looking at her plight. He felt bad that she gave her water bottle to her son and now she had gotten only roti without curry. He stopped by at the school. She did not even check the meter and gave him 200 rs and hurried inside the school dragging her son behind. The ola auto driver just gazed at them and went for the next ride.

Rakhee told her son to go to his class and ran towards her classroom to bring down the children to assembly area. She had totally forgotten that she had not eaten her breakfast. After the assembly, she took her children to classroom and took the attendance. She was feeling thirsty too, but the water bottle was with her son. She thought of going out of the classroom and drink some water from the water tank which was kept on the next floor, but then since her co-teacher was absent, she did not want to leave the class alone. She continued with her class. The children used to like her a lot since she was approachable and made learning pretty much easy, especially math. She got so involved in the class that it was already time for a short break. Whenever she used to skip her breakfast, she would make sure that she would have her breakfast during short break with her children. She used to ask her children about their breakfast and vice versa.

Today, it was a different scenario. She was cursing herself for having overslept for 10 minutes due to which she had forgotten curry and her son's water bottle. She took a round in the classroom and made sure that the children had started their short break. She came near her table to open her box. The peon came in search of her with a bag in his hand. He told her that some one had left it in the office for her. She slowly opened the bag and was shocked to see her purse containing master card, debit card, and her license. There were few notes of 500 rs too. She felt something soft underneath it. She took it out and it was a packet of curry, idly,, and vada. The water bottle inside the bag made her exclaim "Oh my God, the ola auto driver!" Before she could ask anything, the peon had left, of course, he was busy with his own work. Rakhee had never felt so emotional in her life, of course, leaving her marriage and her son's birth. She thanked the ola auto driver and made up her mind to call him after school hours. One of the students asked her as to what breakfast she had got, she proudly told him that some one had gifted her, her favorite breakfast, idly and vada.

After the school hours, she called the ola auto driver who denied that he had bought her breakfast and had returned her valuables, but then later agreed to it. She said she wanted to reward him, to which he replied he had just done his duty and that if at all she wanted to thank him, asked her to buy food for the needy ones. Rakhee thought that the ola driver was indeed a friend who had helped her when she was in need, and now as a reward to him she would help people in need.

A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED.