Warmth

                                    

"Put on your sweater Rehan! The weather is still little cold. Listen to me" - Rehan's mother shouted from behind, almost running as Rehan hurried outside with a heavy school bag on his shoulders.

"Mom, I don't need it. Infact nobody needs it, except you. Summers have approached and its so hot. Please go back inside now." - Rehab waved his hand while closing the entry door of his home. He watched his mother's awful expressions who was shrugging her shoulders in disgust.

Rehan studied in XIth standard. His school was 30 kms away from his town. He used to take a Government Roadways bus daily for his to and fro journey to his school. 

It was late February already and winters were receding but his mother was always asking him to don a sweater and a muffler, even now. He was angry about his mother's nagging. He felt, she was so uncool. It was enough for him to wear a full-sleeves shirt in such weather.

The bus started to drag and Rehan caught it, just in time. He looked anxiously at the vacant seats and grabbed a window seat. The glass of window was broken but it didn't make a difference to him. He settled down and looked around. There were very few passengers and almost all of them were daily travellers. It was 6:30 AM and he could see a layer of fog far away. He opened a book and tried to read but found it difficult in the moving bus, as always. The bus was now running at full speed and he felt a stream of cold air on his face. He extended his hand to close the window but drew it back quickly realizing that the glass of window was broken. He cuddled himself and sensed the cold. After a while, the air turned chilly, piercing into his bones. He stood up and was sad to see all other seats were now occupied. He started to shiver, trying hard to minimize the chattering of his teeth.

A loud voice from behind disturbed him. An old man, roughly around 60 years old, was pointing towards him and saying "Why are you not wearing any sweater? You new generation boys are hopeless. You don't listen to your parents, you don't listen to teachers. You feel that wrapping a muffler around your face is old-fashioned and stupid. Every sane thing from your elders looks a lecture to you. Movies and cricket - that is all you people care about. No disciplne, no proper food and sleep timings, nothing". Rehan's face turned red, partially due to the cold and partially due to this unexpected scolding from an unknown man.

"Take this" - the old man came closer to him and handed over a woollen shawl. Infact, he unwrapped the shawl, covered Rehan with it and sat back on his seat. Rehan could not understand how to react and slowly he, too, slipped on to his seat, still in dilemna. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the shawl.

The bus conductor was shouting loudly to a passenger, "Ask this boy to get up from sleep. His school is very near". Rehan rubbed his eyes, holding the shawl tightly to his body. He turned back and found that the old man was not there. He looked around but he was nowhere in the bus. The conductor told Rehan that the old man got out at the previous bus-stop while he was asleep.

Rehan stepped out of the bus. He was now warm, even inside his heart.