A drunkard, an umbrella and me.

All of a sudden it rained so heavily that I could not bike further. I was undone in the middle of a naxal infested jungle where robbery was a common incident. I could not move ahead so I turned the bike’s engine off. I went to a road-side mango tree and sheltered myself under it. I found that I was not alone there.  A heavily drunk man was fallen at a little distance from me. Perhaps my presence now activated him and he rose from the ground. He had a cycle which had fallen on the ground with him. Very staggeringly, now the man and his bicycle stood on the rain. The man was unable to decide what to do. With his head downward he had clasped his bicycle and the raindrops were hitting him hard. I was amazed to see that the drunken man had an umbrella tugged in the rear part of his bicycle but he was completely drenched and hard hit by the bucketing rain. His senses were unable to respond the situation.

I saw the pitiable situation of the alcoholic. By that time I was also half wet as the tree was no way a good shelter against the heavy downpour. No one was there. And the rainfall prompted me to go to the drunkard. I dragged him to the tree where I had previously taken shelter. I pulled his umbrella and opened it over my head and the drunk sat at my feet in a half sleepy state. The good thing was that both of us were now well protected from the rain. We continued shivering for more than an hour in the humid windy afternoon although the umbrella proved to be a good protection.

The rain was still continuing and the drunk slowly regained his consciousness. He stood up and told me that he would go now. I said nothing and was holding his umbrella. He walked away from the umbrella and tried to ride the bicycle. His cycle started to roll on the road. I called him with a shout and told him to take his umbrella but he did not look back. Perhaps he was happy that he was able to ride the cycle even though he was drunk.