The fearless one

I went to a medicine shop at the local market. It seemed the fear of pandemic was widespread. Not many shops were open. The ones that had open doors did not have any customer except their salesmen sitting with a tired look. It was a desolate scene. As expected, the medicine shop had an opposite picture. There was a queue of about six people standing one after another at a certain distance in between. I was happy that people who were out were disciplined and following the norm of social distancing. At the hour of mental anxiety, people speak in low tone. That adds to the worry. I took my place in the end keeping the tail of the queue. There was some time left to reach the storekeeper. I took out my mobile phone, put off the right glove, and concentrated on responding to my office emails. My time in the market would not be wasted this way.

One after another the men and women went ahead and sent their requisition. It was a simple wait and keeping pace with others. I made sure that I didn’t come too close to the women who were just before me. They were talking something which I couldn’t hear. When they reached the counter, and I was expecting my turn soon, a gentleman came in. Without hesitation, he placed himself near the counter, just beside the women. He thought his was the next. I spoke up politely, "There is a line here. Kindly go behind me." Though he didn't like my words, he came back and stood behind me. I was scared as I thought the distance with him wasn’t appropriate. I told him, “Would you mind going a little behind?” That threw a ball at the beehive. His mouth opened up above the barrier of his shabby blue mask. "Where can I walk back, to my home finally? Why do you, educated people, fear so much? Aren’t you nonsense?" The next sentence rolled over spontaneously, "जो डरा, वो मरा." It had a poetic as well as philosophical expression. I remembered I had heard the same phrase from a friend who went through a similar situation at some other place. I didn’t react at his face, but I chuckled inside the cover of my mask and the sunglasses. Unluckily, the fearless one couldn't notice that.

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