Generation Gap
I boarded my regular 8:40am Belapur local this
morning. The train was pretty empty but I did not get to sit till Vashi. A
family boarded the train at Govandi. They were perhaps going on a vacation or
maybe returning. This I concluded
because they were lugging themselves into the train with a number of huge
traveling bags.
The family comprised of a father, mother, son, and daughter. (Let me assure you that I am not gender-biased and the order of listing
is purely based on their respective ages)
At Vashi a few seats got vacant. I sat opposite a middle-aged man while that family found places in the row adjacent to which I
was sitting. The young girl was sitting just opposite me. She was not very
beautiful, but you would not feel repulsive-looking at her either. As the train
kept moving ahead I happened to catch glimpses of her at regular intervals. After
a while, I noticed that the middle-aged man, who was sitting in front of me, too
was looking in the same direction. He was looking in that direction with great
focus and concentration. Out of sheer curiosity and also because I did not have
something more constructive to do, I decided to check out that man’s area of
interest. I strained my posture and without looking too obvious directed my view
in that direction. I had assumed that he would be ogling at that teenage girl.
But, soon I realized that my assumption was not as great as I prided it to be. After little efforts, it was confirmed that he was
eyeing the mother of that teenage girl.
