Because, a Single Act Can Change Your Life

A single moment, a single act can change your life. A hug, a kiss, a tear, a gift, a word, a fact. Or, maybe, a slap. Hers was exactly that- a slap.

                Seemingly brushing aside a plethora of emotions, she stepped into the capital city to live her dream. Delhi- the city of metro, DTC and autos. The city of the President, Prime Minister and the embassies. The city with the old-world charm of Paranthe-wali gali and the legendary snobbishness of high-society people. Of dauntingly fashionable women. Of infamously dubious men. And of course, the other ends of the spectrum too.

                Never too kicked about changes, her passion to pursue her dream was the only thing that drew her to the city. Her dream of studying in the university she had set her eyes on way before she passed her school. She was intimidated, she was nervous, she was dreamy, she was sure.

                She set out to get everything in place to get settled in the city that was near-perfect in her realm of imagination. A crazy day of running around later, she dragged her fatigued self to the Metro station to catch a train back. It was getting late and the train was about to arrive. Too exhausted to climb the stairs, she decided to use the lift instead. How overpopulated our country is- she realised after about fifteen people hopped in, challenging the lift capacity of seven. It was simple- the lift had to go from the ground floor to the first floor. A matter of few seconds. And it did take her a few seconds to realise about that hand groping her casually.

                *Gulp*                                                                                                                                     

~No, this can’t be happening for real! This is what one reads about, hears about. Why would SHE have to face it? What had she done?~

                The voices in her head firmly clashed with that hand moving furiously around her. In those few seconds that seemed like slow, agonising ages; her mind had stopped working. She tried to look behind, but there was no space to even tilt her head.

                The lift finally opened, and people rushed out faster than lightening. ~Didn’t anyone see what happened in there? Don’t they care?~

                She immediately turned back to look at that guy. She stared at him for a good 20 seconds at least, burning with rage. She expected him to melt then and there. But all she saw was a middle-aged balding man, smiling to his amusement. Smiling. ~Smiling!~  And then he went on his own way.

                “Run.”-a stray but resonating voice in her head said. And she ran. And she held him by the hand, and turned him to face her. And then, she slapped him right across the face. Slapped hard.

The world turned holier than thou as they all rushed to her help and trying to come on tops in beating the hell out of that man. Men shouting, women whispering, children gawking, police acting. A swarm of people- a swarm of people in the midst of whom she found herself. Found, loved, lived herself. Life-changing? You bet.