Story : 100 Rupees

I was on a leave for a week and returned to the city life, to catch up with my job. I reached the bus stop where I usually board the bus to home. It was my routine to buy roasted peanuts from an old lady who used to sell it in packets for five and ten rupees.

I didn’t find the old lady over there,that day, but a walking stick was planted with a sticky note on it.

The note said “I am an 80 year old lady and I’ve lost my 100 rupees here. If you find it please return it to me in my hut, nearby Shivan temple.”

I knew the old lady very well and she was not someone who could cheat others by such sticky notes. I decided to give my 100 rupees as hers and stepped towards the hut.

There was no door but a screen made of a jute sack. I called the old lady “Granny…..”

She moved the screen aside and walked out.

“Who called me?”

“I found this sticky note near the bus stop. It says you have lost your 100 rupees. Here it is, take it”, I held her wrinkled hands and pressed a 100 rupee note on her palm. The old lady smiled and gave it back.

“It is true that I have lost my money a few days before. That was all the money I had, to buy peanuts for the next day. I searched for it and my hands found only mud, banana peels, cigarette butts and polythene wrappers but not my 100 rupee note. May be someone poorer than me might have took it. Amidst my search, came a girl suddenly, who grabbed me away from stamping spitted Paan. She helped me to get back to my hut holding my hands as it was dark around. She gave me a 100 rupee note saying that she had found my money. I said that the money I had lost are of ten, ten rupees notes. I guess she felt pity on me, as she adamantly gave me the money and left before I was about to ask her name”, Granny paused.

I was speechless.

She continued, “I don’t know what she did, including you 56 people have come to my hut offering 100 rupees saying that they found it. I have 5600 rupees now and it is more than enough for months to me. I need not to sell peanuts too. Can you please remove the paper notice from the bus stop?”

“Okay, I will remove it on one condition, accept this 100”, I asked her to get mine too.

I walked back to the bus stop and looked at that sticky note.

I noticed the girl smiling at me gracefully. I knew she was the one.

Credits: Inspired by an information shared on FM radio