The Life of an Old Man

              Since I've started observing LIFE more deeply, I've been curious to know about the people who have almost lived their life, who are done with the game called life, for they are the people who exactly know it, OLD PEOPLE. Yes, I've been observing them closely. I wonder how one could go on living his life without any goal or purpose. How one could go to sleep with no worry of waking up early next morning to perform some necessary duties.

                I met an old man & asked him to tell me something about life. But an absolute sadness crawled on his face, like I've borrowed something from him. "Nothing son, this life is nothing, all my life I've worked tirelessly and what I've received as a reward is a small bunch of gray hair, a little bit of white beard, a face full of wrinkles, and weakness in my whole body. I have money, but I can't buy time now, the time which is gone, the moments that will never come back."

"Why are you so sad, it's kind of normal." I said to him.

"I'm sad because I think life was too small. Or perhaps I'm sad because I think life was not too small, it was me who was unable to make something big out of that little period. It's really a fun, being able of making big things out of small periods, the fun I remain completely unaware of." He walked away after saying this.

I didn't understand what he said, to be honest.

                My next encounter was with an old man who was sitting on the Niazi Bus Stand Bhakkar when I was moving to Lahore. He asked me to sit near him but being too busy on mobile, I could only shook my head. Then, he talked with everybody who came there. When I put mobile in the pocket and noticed him, he said to young boy of my age sitting next to me, "Where are you going to, son?"

"Lahore." The boy said.

"And why?" The old man asked.

"I've to get my result card of inter class. I'm applying for L.L.B. and that is required." The boy said.

"Why don't you become a doctor?" The old man asked.

Another boy said, "Uncle, he never allowed any doctor to inject him, how could he himself be a doctor and inject others. He's too afraid of injections actually."

"Don't laugh at him son, only he knows who is being fucked that what he is going through." The old man said in quite jolly-sexual manner.

"These things are good." The old man continued. "Once I had a accident, and doctor wanted to put some stitches over & under my right eye. I was with 'Roza' so I refused to take any seductive drug. Doctor became angry and said that how could we put stitches without giving you a proper seductive drug, it will be painful. I laughed & said if I'm being fucked up, it's my matter, you shouldn't care, just do it, the little did I knew that some ladies were also listening. Doctor started the operation & and I screamed. I screamed louder & louder. It was painful. It was very painful. It was much painful. It was painful than the most painful experiences of my life. But it was a matter of time, like LIFE is. And you know what is the good thing about time, it passes away, painful or full of comfort, still it passes away. So operation was done, and that painful operation became a beautiful memory of my life which I often remember. So you guys are young, you have TIME, that will whither away, always look for making something big out of shorter periods of life, which you can remember & laugh & tell to others when you are old like I'm now."

              What you do today as a youngster will determine your old age is the last line my pen can write, and it might be wrong.

        (Awais Babar)

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