Passers-by

I meet her almost everyday. Complying with local tradition, I have greeted her many a time only to evoke no response. No response in the strongest sense of the phrase. No nod of the head, no fake grin, no warmth in the eyes, no change in body language. 

Once, twice, thrice and the same reaction or the lack of it every single time. I no longer  greet her. 

For someone with such strange uncommon countenance, she is in my thoughts more often than I would expect. I see her thrice a day at least and have never seen her smile. What could be so wrong in her life that prevents her from offering the simplest and sweetest thing we all can? Is she swamped with worries? What could be so grave and topsy-turvy in her life that all through two long years she didn’t smile once, at me or anyone else? The one-sidedness made it seem like an insulting raw deal, even humiliating occasionally when it happened in the midst of others. I was annoyed. 

I am constantly at debate with myself every now and then. Am I right in expecting a pleasant response or should I just wish her sans expectation? If greeting someone is to make their day better, should I just go ahead knowing how she is or should I pay more attention to how her dullness and silence bothers me when I greet her every time. Funny I end up sulking because of a lack of contact when I try to offer her a better moment. 

Should I try to be a better person or a sensible passer-by? I knew not. I chose to alternate. 

‘Ciao!’. I frantically searched the tram,within my purview. 

A little girl in pink, head to toe, pony tails and all, waved out to me and flashed a smile. I waved back and began brooding on what prompts these young bundles of joy to brighten up someone’s day with no inhibition. While I was glad that kids were so special, I went back to brooding on whether it was my sulking that made her pick me out of so many in the tram. 

The tram stopped and I stopped judging the lady.