To be (Duped) or Not To Be

I recently read one of my friend's posting at Police On Board.

That reminded me an incident which I had personally experienced some time back.

I frequently keep visiting my home town Coimbatore, where my parent stay. This happened during one of such innumerable travels.

It was a saturday morning. I had got down from the train and was waiting for the town bus to arrive. The sun having risen quite some distance from the horizon. People were scurrying around like ants. Auto-rickshaw drivers were trying to get some customer. The Taxis vying with them for the same purpose.

I was physically present but my mind was thinking about what I was going to do for the next 2 days ( Usually nothing other than staying at home). That is when I saw this old woman( must have been around 65 years of age). She looked very weak and was toterring towards the bus stop.
I heard her saying to a nearby person, "I have to go to the Government Hospital. I haven't has any food for 2 days. Please give me some money". The person just ignored her as if she was non-existent.

She continued her walk and presently came to me. Frankly speaking, I usually ignore beggars. But some thing made me react. I told her that I will not give her any money but instead will get her some food. I took her to a nearby tea shop and bought her a loaf of bread and also gave her 5 rupees for travelling to the hospital.

That was the end of the incident and I had totally forgotten about it, until some 2 months later I chanced to see the old woman again.

I was on one of my usual 2 day visit to coimbatore. And suprising I had stirred out of my home to go to Gandhipuram. I had just parked my bike near the "Souma Complex" when I saw the same old woman begging around.

I was angered to find that I had been clearly duped by this old woman. I was infact even thinking about having a word or 2 with ehr about it. But then I choose to ignore her and returned home.

Then later on when I thought about it, I felt that I had acted very childish. Here was an old lady who couldn't work and didn't have any body to depend on in her old age. Still I felt duped/frustrated by her behaviour at the railway station.

And there have been numerous such occasions where I have been cheated or I felt cheated. But lets remember the better things in life ;-)