Short story #1

A GLASS HALF FULL (With Orange juice)

AK was tapping his foot to the music being played in the restaurant. (The sign board said `juice bar’, but never mind.)He loved music. He loved it for the fact that it could bring out the energy in him; it was one of the very few things that moved him.
I agree.
He was always seen with those black sunglasses (Ray Ban?).He absolutely loved them. I assume he never took them off, mostly because I had never seen him without them on. The waitress (the really pretty one!) came out with a menu card and placed it before him. He didn’t care about it. He never did. The waitress cleared her throat to grab his attention. His response was quick, as if by impulse- “Orange juice, one glass”.
The waitress smiled and went back.
. . . . .

A few minutes later, this guy, 30ish, dressed in crisp formals, closely cropped hair and an utterly forgettable face walks into the restaurant. He came in and sat down next to AK, who didn’t notice him sit there courtesy his involvement in the #now playing Bryan Adams number. Before I started wondering why this guy didn’t take a different table, He said-
“Hi, am Sudhir” speaking to AK.
I noticed his shiny Acer Stream. Oh! That’s Android. Right.
“Hi, am AK”
So, tell me, how many times do you see someone enter a restaurant, sit next to some guy (on a table already taken) and start a conversation?
“So, you come here everyday?” enquired Sudhir.
“Yeah, almost. I love this place”
“Oh I see......that’s nice”
“So what brings you here Mr.Sudhir, from IT land, I guess” said AK with a chuckle.
“Yeah, no prizes for guessing though! SO you ask what brings me here? Its monotony, it’s been the same fuc**ng routine from the last few years. I come out every morning, go to the same something sagar, eat idly or dosa, head to my office, rot for eight hours there, come back home, watch some TV, have dinner and go to bed. I wanted to go to a different place to eat today......for a change”
“That’s not a bad routine Sudhir, most of them would be more than happy to have such a Time-table” AK said, almost satirical in voicing that.
“Not for six years Mr.AK, I’ve been trying for something better from the last four years, with no luck. Doing the same thing for six years kills you. There’s nothing about ME in this job you know, anyone can do this in my place. Lakhs of kids graduate every year, each of them as capable or a few even better than me. It’s become rather meaningless. Enough about me.....what do you do?”
“I am a teacher, in the school for the visually impaired kids” said AK, with a big smile; I could see how proud he was about it. Well, it’s justified, isn’t it?
“Oh, in a school for the blind eh?”
“Well, Sudhir, let’s not be so blunt. Call them visually handicapped.”
“Hey, am sorry. It wasn’t meant to be offensive. Anyway, its great Mr.AK, its admirable. It’s a great service to the society and you know what the best part is, you’re there for them. You are prominent; you have a role in their life, in this society. Whereas I am invisible. If I take off to someplace for a few weeks, nobody will notice (except my boss). It’s been like this from long, during my schooldays, the best students were lauded, the worst ones were frowned at and criticized. The ones like me were never in the picture. One word for me, MEDIOCRE. It’s better off to suck at something, you have a reasonable chance for improvement. It’s worst for the average mediocre also-rans like me.” Sighed Sudhir.
“That’s some overreaction, what has set you off?”
“I don’t know. I feel I may be fired today!!”
“You see Sudhir, that’s not all that bad” I could sense the sarcasm returning but sadly it didn’t. “It’s going to be a new opportunity, to start things afresh, find your niche, get a better job” said AK.
Just then the (pretty) waitress brought the glass of orange juice and the sandwich which Sudhir had ordered.
“It’s easy for you to say that Mr.AK. You don’t know how difficult it is.” Anger was imminent in Sudhir’s voice, or was it frustration? “You teach blind kids, you got no pressure, no targets, and no deadlines. It’s quite easy out there for you”
“It isn’t easy Sudhir; my pay packet is nowhere near yours. It’s not just that, there is a certain pressure when you handle kids, especially the ones who cannot see. Their future is bleak and the thing they need the most is hope, not pity or sympathy. It takes a great deal of sensitivity to teach them. Let me tell you something.........A boy, about 10 years old, asked me to tell him what red was? What it looks like? This has been pestering me for days. How do you explain what a color is?”
“Well, it’s sad........”
“Tell me the answer Sudhir” interrupted AK
“Well, red looks just like RED, how do you describe a color? Anyway, I get your point, but even you know that the blind kid will never know what red is. I am not being insensitive here Mr.AK, but this is how it is, this is how unfair everything is.....”
“Not if we want to make it better, by making the right choices” shot back AK
“You can’t. You are not in control of anything. The boy didn’t wish to be born blind, he was destined. What choice does that poor kid have? Thanks to you, he will learn a few sentences and some math and all that, but he will be trampled by the world around him. The competition, pressure and cruelty will make his life more miserable and sadly he is destined to struggle, so am I” sighed Sudhir.
He finished eating his sandwich. AK was still wearing his (Ray-Ban) sunglasses.
“Why do you wear your shades inside the restaurant Mr.AK?” Asked Sudhir
“I love them. It’s my CHOICE, you see” said a grinning AK
“That isn’t funny; Anyway, your idealistic philosophies don’t work. It’s like you are living in some sort of an imaginary world where everything is possible. It isn’t like that, the world doesn’t work that way” finished Sudhir. Some anguish that was.
I saw AK smile. Sudhir may have interpreted it to be a sign of agreement to his point of view but I could see that it was meant to be otherwise. AK believed in what he said, I knew that.
“Mr.AK, it was a pleasure meeting you, I hope to stay in touch with you. Here’s my card” Sudhir said as he placed his card near AK’s half-empty glass of orange juice.
“Sure thing Sudhir” finished AK.

I saw Sudhir walk out of the restaurant,. AK was sitting here, humming some song.
A minute later, I saw Sudhir rush in, clearly searching for something. I saw the relief on his face when he spotted his cell phone (Acer Stream) next to AK’s half empty glass of orange juice.
As he approached the table, he saw AK stand up and reach for a cane beside his chair. He held the cane forward and started taking short steps, headed towards the door.
YES!!!
AK never saw the card on his table, nor did he see Sudhir’s cell phone, nor did he see Sudhir coming towards him, nor did he know what red was. AK was blind. He was born like that. The Ray Ban sunglasses were a joke to him. He had never seen a thing in his life.......

I saw AK go past a speechless Sudhir. I still remember the look on Sudhir’s face. It is no more a face I could forget easily.
AK had made his choice. Maybe it’s time we made ours. All He has left us is a half-filled glass of orange juice to take cues from.

-sk
20.08.2010