STORY
lady. The conductor who seemed to have been
waiting for just such a chance, spoke up – “How
many times have I told you girls to give your seats to
elders or ladies with kids? You never listen!”
The girl sprang up from her seat and stood
holding her bag for half an hour until I alighted. She
still stood there, with a bitter countenance. I tried to
imagine how her day had been.
Did she have to stand outside the class for
an hour as part of some punishment? Some
teachers make the whole class suffer for the
mistakes of a few. Or, was an English teacher on
leave with the Maths teacher taking advantage of it
by giving them additional problems to solve, apart
from her double period that day?
Or, did the girl have to bear the burden of
housework before and after school?
Women who travel daily have this habit of
sticking to the same bus. They are friends with the
drivers and conductors, and they make the