A Walk in the Park

The lady has come beautifully dressed for a walk in the park. Her green dress and pearl necklace make her one amongst the Jasmine plants blooming in patches here and there. She is taking quick steps. I am finding her amusing to have considered her evening walk with commitment and grace. After two rounds she has taken recluse on a bench. I keep taking my rounds though. The next time that I see her, two huge stray dogs of the area are climbing all over her. They look happy to see her and even more happier to find her settled so that they can hug her with all their hearts out. I think she is a regular in the park. On my next round I find her scratching the dogs belly, and playing with them. I can’t help but smile at her. In the times of corona, when we are scared to touch even a plastic bag without sanitization, here she is dressed in a beautiful green dress giving belly rubs to stray dogs.

I also meet an old couple in the park. They too are taking continuous rounds but in a direction opposite to mine, so we pass against each other frequently. The old lady has lost all her hair and has a bandana tied over her head. She looks weak and is holding the old man’s hand all the while. I think she maybe a cancer survivor. The old man is an active person. He is holding the lady’s hand and also a stick, probably to shoo the stray dogs which the Jasmine lady has attracted. They are walking slowly. On one of my round I find the old man asking the lady to stand still and clicks few pictures of her. They walk silently, and look happy and fulfilled.

There is also a middle aged couple whom I brush against twice, once somewhere inside the park, and another when they were leaving from the gate. The man looks like he works as a security guard, with his pants rolled upto his knees, most probably owing to the incessant rain of the day. The lady looks like she too has been working all day long and has finally called it a day. They walk with dignity. When I meet them at the gate, I see the man gracefully embracing the lady and gently kissing her forehead, without embarrassing anyone around. And with that they walk out of the park.

I find parks to be wonderful. They are so comforting and such beautiful witness and secret keepers. They are the witness of the multitude of stories walking around them every day. Some stories of laughter, some of desperation, some of silent talks, and nevertheless, being an elementary part of all these stories. Irrespective of your status and lifestyle, a walk in a park is something which everyone deserves.