people who walk by

This is about all the strangers that you meet in life and then forget. You see some of them everyday even like my neighbour who teaches Math. She is a very pretty woman from Pakistan who I have spoken to may be four or five times. She has given me sugar and milk and change for 500 bucks and that's about all the introduction I have. She is still a stranger to me and sometimes I feel may be I am missing out on knowing a really nice person.

Then there is this Philipino woman who walks past me almost daily near the office. I always smile at her but ofcourse we never speak. There's an Indian woman who dresses in men's shirts, jeans and shoes everyday and passes by smoking a cigarette. Every time she goes by I wonder who she is and what she does but ofcourse I couldn't possibly ask.

Then there are these people who you know at a very cursory level and you never go beyond it because you are comfortable in that superficial space. There's this Sudanese guy who dresses in shorts and T shirt in winter and comes down to smoke often. He is an Account Director in an ad agency and believes it is 'cool' to dress like that. I once saw him wearing a velvet jacket. One time he asked me,"How would you like to be briefed as a copywriter?" I gave him a very vague answer because I don't know the proper large words. I almost have an allergy to large words. Keep it simple I say. Anyway he was not impressed and the fuck I care. So that relationship will always remain in the realm of 'Hi! How are you?'

There are many young mothers in my building and with the exception of two of them my relationship with the rest also falls in the above category. They are anyway quite busy running after and disciplining their respective children. Then there is this German guy whose name I used to know but now forget who lives in the building opposite mine. He has a mixed breed dog called Bobby. Bobby is in love with Ninna and Ninna is in love with him. Unfortunately due to the difference in their breeds they cannot be mated. That does not stop them from looking at each other longingly. Whenever I take Ninna for a walk in the evening she automatically goes near his window and he jumps at the glass and lets out these plaintive howls till the owner opens the window, I pick up Ninna so that Bobby and she can lick each others' faces. It is an adorable moment. I say hello to the guy. I ask how are you and then I walk away but it is a nice moment due to the doggy love even though we are strangers.

Then there are people with whom you end up sharing a cab. You almost never meet them again. There are people who ask for directions on the road and if you're a nice person you don't give them wrong directions. There are the taxi drivers, the people in the bus and train who sit next to you for a while. There is a certain beauty in almost all the people who walk by.