Yesterday the weather was pleasant… The sky seem a little cloudy, a cool breeze grazing over the roads and the sweet smell of mud reminding of the wonderful rains… The western ghats are so beautiful to live in….
As usual after work, i boarded the bus back home… I dozed off only to be awaken by the time the bus reached my stop… As everyday i got down near Parihar chowk and started walking back to my place… Daily this small walk connects me with the hustle and bustle of the vegetable market… But what really draws me is the old guava seller who sits outside the market with his small basket of guavas… The sight of him reminds me of an incident that filled me with joy and changed me for ever…
He is a typical maharahtrian, dressed in a white kurta and dhoti with a cap on his head… He doesn’t even bring a lot of guavas… Every day its only a 25 to 30 pieces… And my love for the fruit makes me buy one at least… So everyday i walk to him, take one guava and eat it on the way home… I particularly love the ripe ones golden in color and sweet in taste… Many a times, his fruits are sold by the time i reach in the evening… I still go to him to see if anything is left… He says he has nothing is left for today…
Sometimes i notice that he has one ripe fruit hidden in his pocket… One particular day, i very much wanted to have a guava having missed it for the last four days… He says that he has not got any, but i persist saying he has one hidden in his pocket… He says no, and surprisingly starts walking away…
I was equally surprised and left thinking he must have something else on his mind… But this same thing repeated for a few more times, each time me offering him more than he can earn the whole day… I was even ready to give 1000 bucks for a single guava but was not able to get it from him… That was the day i decided i must find out what he does with that guava…
I took a day off the next day, and waited in my car near the market… After i saw that all his guavas are sold, i walked to him and asked for one… As usual he refused saying he has got none left…. Now since i knew he must be having one with him for sure, i again offered him a thousand bucks for the last one… He refused and started collecting his things to leave…
I walked back to my car, and started following him… He slowly cycled back towards the Mumbai highway… He reached the outskirts and turned into a small farm off the highway… I got out and walked into the farm… I walked through the small mud road to a house surrounded by all sorts of trees… Beautiful fruits hanging from them tempting one to pluck and relish… But what attracted me is the sight of two large guava trees… Both were laden with guavas, waiting to be relieved from the weight…
I noticed a small hut near the end of the farm and a light flicker through the window… Though i know its not correct, i could not contain myself and became a peeping tom… The sight i saw there struck me like a blow… The guava seller was seated along with his wife, and was enjoying the fruit sharing with her…..
I silently got away from the window and returned back to my home… I was in a daze till my wife shook me to my senses…. I realized what i was missing in life… I have been too materialistic and missed small joys of love and companionship… Thats what we need all the time, but not money… How do you feel in your old age if you sit alone in your house with your wife going away to her friends place or her ladies club because she was never used to spend time with you…
The next day, I was back to the guava vendor, bought a guava, but instead of munching it on the way back home, i took it to home only to enjoy the simple joy of sharing some time with my sweetheart…
P.S: I do like guavas…
P.P.S: I’m not married, this is my imagination only… 
