That one hour of the day, made my Sunday……….

It was Sunday, and if dad is at home, I just can’t think to lie in bed and dream till afternoon. He is already familiar with my “Oh, please half an hour more, please-please, I slept late, I was studying………….I feel, I am not well, my head is heavy…………Yesterday, I strained my back, aahh!! It pains”, and all such kind of excuses. As usual, the list was called out and I had to get the tires of my scooter filled with air as the first job of the day.

I usually don’t prefer to carry my wallet if I am wearing loose lowers or pajamas, because of the fear of slipping it out of the pocket. It was by chance that I carried it that day. I was waiting for my turn at a nearby cycle/scooter repairing shop, when I noticed two small kids who had come to get their bicycles repaired, bargaining with the mechanic over the money he was charging.

I don’t know what made me think that the boys didn’t belong to a financially good family. Perhaps, their argument, their clothes, their faces, their bicycles, their body language caught my eye and made me think about this. My turn came, as I saw the boys moving towards the side still discussing something with each other in a dull voice. I tried to overhear their discussion, when some words like chocolate, cycle, 20Rs, managed to reach my ears. It didn’t take a minute more for me then to understand their point of discussion.

“Hey, do you go to school boys”, I asked. Interrupted, they looked towards me in some confusion, as if to confirm that my question was to them. “Yes, I am in 3^rd standard, and he is in 2^nd” replied one of the boys. I smiled back and said “Don’t worry, get your cycles repaired and I will pay for them”. The confusion remained on their faces, but the discussion ended. “Is this guy actually going to pay for us”, the best I could read in their curious eyes. I asked the mechanic to get their cycles repaired first. With some amount of reluctance, they handed over their bicycles to him, as if they were not ready for the obligation.

Both were standing silently in a corner, perhaps, to avoid any more query from my side. Half an hour passed and I was waiting for my turn. Finally, their cycles were done. “Is everything done, just check them”, I asked, as the boys picked up their bicycles. One of them just shook his head, as if to say ‘yes’.

“Ok then, study well. And buy 2 chocolates only, not more”, I said, as they moved out of the shop. I saw them turn and look back several times, perhaps, to check, if the mechanic is not running behind them for his money. Finally, they thanked me with a pleasant smile and rode away swaying their bicycles.

It was about an hour, by the time I was done with my job as well. Driving back, I knew, I will have a good scolding from dad, as it was hardly a 5 minute thing to get the tires filled with air and come back. But the satisfaction of doing something good overrode my any other fear. As expected, I found dad waiting. Later, when he learned about my last one hour, he held my shoulder like a proud father does. A feeling of happiness kept me active throughout the day.

Finally, at the end of the day, as i lay on my bed, i realized, it was that one hour of the day that actually made my Sunday……….