X - AT THE BY-LANE...

            I live in a village, slightly away from the national highway. It is fun watching the traffic and sometimes I walk down to the side of the highway and stay there for hours altogether. There is a wide space like a by-lane and the huge trees spreading out give shade all around the day. Many travelers stop their car to stretch out and to… (you know for what). And then they open their food packs and flasks. Most of them give me what is left over, before they drive off. I love this, because the food and snacks are indeed very different and tasty from what I get at home. It is not that I am starved at home, but I don’t get the stuff these travelers eat. I like the “lime-rice” and the “thairu-saadam”, and the iddlies and vadais they leave behind but nothing to match the fried chicken and once in a while the biriyani. The various types of sandwiches are not bad. Very rarely I get fried fish too. However, I do not get items like potato chips and pop-corn and murukku mainly because of the kids… they never leave behind any such items. I also listen to their conversation which is indeed interesting. Before they leave the place I would know from where they are coming, to where they are going and a bit of their family dynamics too. I will not tell you everything what these people talk.  Because some of the conversations are indeed very private and not to be talked about.  I maintain my own policy and keep their secrets to myself.  At least some assurance to them that I can be confided in (though they are unaware that I know some of their secrets).  Some general knowledge!!

          I saw the white car coming fast, and then slow down at the by-lane. By the time I reached the car, the man had got out and opened the boot and took out a fairly big bag. There was no need for any one to tell me what it was, I got the wonderful aroma. The man got back into the car. The lady then opened the window, looked out and stared at me. There was a smile on her face and I knew they were not going to drive me away, as many people do. They started to talk and opened their packs. The faint aroma was prominent now, wow... great! If my guess was right, they had “lime-rice”, “thairu-saadam” and CHICKEN. I decided to wait patiently. Patience would give good results and that is my experience. However, I looked around to see if any of my friends were there. They are spoil-sport and driving them away is always a hard job.

          The man was Boby and the lady was Maida (what a name!). The name did not matter much to me (though it sounded strange) because she was beautiful with that smile. I was standing at her side of the car. She stared at me few times and I too stared back at her. I am sure she did not realize that I was staring at her and not at the food she was eating. Poor city-folks, they have their own funny ideas and mannerisms about us country bums. From their conversation to each other, I understood they were on their way from Madurai to Mala in Kerala, visiting their parents. They kept on talking to each other in the same tempo eating what they had in their packs. The man Boby finished first and gave me his pack, nothing much was left in it except for the juicy pieces of chicken bones. Poor fellow might have been very hungry. I am sure he did not eat his breakfast that day. The lady Maida was more generous. She not only left behind the juicy chicken legs but also a portion of the “thairu-saadam”, yummy!!!

          Maida looked at me (with her open eyes) as if saying, “bye-bye doggie”, “taa-taa, see you later”… and Boby started the car. I wagged my tail in full swing and silently said “good-bye” and prayed for their safe journey.

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