Hearts out

As I was waiting for a woman colleague of mine to board the cab, I got off the cab due to unbearable heat. Wandering here and there looking at the watch quite often, I switched on a beautiful song on my i-pod. "If tomorrow never comes"..I turn around to see the morning traffic moving like mighty ants on Mettuguda roads. I was talking to myself in my mind, (damn, I'm not alone so many people get up early and like dogs run fool's errand to reach office in time) the next song plays "Rockstar" that goes like.."I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs and a bathroom I can play baseball in and a king size tub big enough for ten plus me...." I see an old skinny man in his fifties, trying to pull a load of cement bags on a rickshaw and trying to move it 2 feet and couldn't do it in less than 5 mins each time and everytime he steps forward the weight of the bags is pulling the rickshaw back a foot. He looks like he hadn't taken bath in the last 5 days, wearing an old dhoti and looks like had not eaten any food for long. His feet were parched and he was not wearing any slippers. I was just looking at him. He tried all his luck to move forward, but failed. In 20 mins, he could move the rickshaw for not more than 10 feet and in the course, he was abused by an impatient motorist for blocking the path. I wiped the first drop of tear that rolled from my eye before someone noticed it. I felt so ashamed of myself that day. I couldn't help someone thinking what others may think of me and when I wanted to hand over the guy the only 100 rs note I had in my purse, I felt what if the old man gives it back or feels insulted. My colleague arrived and the cab started. But the thoughts ran in my mind all the day and until this day I feel so ashamed of myself for not doing something that I should have done.