The Old Man's Life Calculator

The First Meet

        The first time I saw the old man was in a train compartment. I was in my own world of songs. With earphones on, I was on my way home from college. It happened to be a long, tiring day. Relaxing in the train, I was going to take a nap when a shaking hand touched my shoulder. Glancing behind, I saw an old man. His outfit comprised of a simple shirt and a worn out trousers. His face looked like that of a man who had faced all the difficulties in his life. He had sunken cheeks with an almost bald hair and a rough looking, badly shaved beard which shouted out his age due to the colour.He looked in his seventies. He had a big blue plastic bag in his hand.

        "Beta, would you like to buy a calculator ?", he asked me, smiling in a forceful manner, his eyes speaking the hope and expectations he had. In utter confusion, I muttered a small no. His eyes showed the sadness. " Koi bat nahi",he said indicating no problem though his face showed that it was something to worry about for him.He walked slowly and went over to another traveller in the compartment with the same hope he had from me and asked the same question. Judging from his looks, he must have got the same answer he had got from me.
       
        Silently and slowly, he walked up to the door and stood there. At the next station, he got off the train and hurried over to the next compartment. In the mean time, I had froze, watching the old man move. I was shocked by his dedication and his helplessness. It was my first meet with the old man struggling under his bag's weight but not the last one...