My Trysts With Life

23rd Oct 2021, Ghaziabad: I had gone out to purchase a few samosas (deep-fried, high on calories, potato-filled white flour snack)- a must for my wife when we are visiting her home. So after the typical wait time and surreptitiously placing my order before others, I waited as the white flour gradually turned brown, mouth salivating with the masala flavored smell.  Let me explain a typical "halwai (sweets, savories, etc.)" shop in this part of the country. You have one guy rolling the dough and handling the fillings, another guy manning the wok, and a third guy (usually a kid), bagging them as per customers' orders. In this shop, the kid looked around 14-15, expertly handling the cash and change. I was next in line when the lady tripped over and sent her purse flying towards the kid. He promptly picked it up, helped the lady up, and gave it back to her. In the whole commotion, I picked up my package, waited as the lady finished her transaction, and paid for my four samosas