“Can I finish billing” She asked. No, it did not sound like asking. It was a sweet voice but with a tinge of irritation. The girl looked beautiful and was wearing a nice yellow dress. She was on the billing counter and was waiting for change to come from the boy in mall’s uniform. The boy was counting the Sodexo meal passes and cash she had given, when it happened. The man behind her looked a bit impatient.
Actually, I was standing in the queue after the girl in yellow dress, with my trolley of grocery. The man showed me his single item and gestured if he can finish first. I was in no hurry and I smiled him towards the front. He took out a bundle of ten rupee notes and waited for his turn. He seemed to be in a state of perpetual impatience. The tray on the side, where stuff to be billed is placed, was empty, as girl’s grocery was already billed and put into plastic bags. The man put his large dettol bottle on the tray. There was no movement, but I felt something moved inside the girl. Ten seconds later the man started tapping his bundle of note on the tray. It was then, the girl spoke. She turned back for just three seconds, looked at the person and said it in a way, which is difficult to categorise. It was not harsh or impolite but definitely expressed her loathing for something. After saying this, she turned back to face the boy from mall, but I could sense the turbulence within her.
On his part, the man did not seem to understand much. I think, he was wondering why this girl from some high society is asking him about her tasks. Or he was too afraid to even think about what she was asking and why at all. He just stopped doing whatever he was doing and stood numb. He did not look hurt or embarrassed, but he had a look of a child who did not understand why father scolded him. Only thing he understood was that he did something wrong and the other had complete right to scold him.
The girl had her back towards us and so we could not see her face and reactions. But her face and body suddenly became more rigid. She had her eyes fixed on her remaining sodexo passes, as if, if she looked elsewhere she will be caught. Caught for what? She did not utter a word after that. The boy handed over the change to her and she collected her bags full of two weeks ration. By the time, she opened the door of her car, the man had finished his billing and was moving towards exit door. Within a minute, both were out of sight.
