RED.SHIRT..

He was a broad shouldered man, his only possession in this world was his cart with two wheels in which he used to carry 2 passengers to their destination in the humid city of Calcutta. It was a humiliating job, but ends had to be met. He earned more than others in view of his athletic body which used to pain in the night. There was no one to soothingly massage his aching bones or give a hot water bottle.He longed for a companion, She was a maid who lived in the neighbouring slum, was squint eyed but had caught his fancy. The only communication used to happen when they stood in the morning queue, awaiting their turns patiently, near the common overcrowded toilet.She loved him, as he looked the earnest and sincere kind.
The passengers sitting in this human rickshaw had no shame of being pulled by a fellow human being, such was the callous attitude in this heartless city. It was a blatant violation of basic human rights. The fat lazy people in this city used to be a burden for these human mules.
A day was fixed for the girl's parents to see the guy.
He was all excited, but did not have decent clothes to impress his would be in laws. A red shirt, hanging in the window of a clothes store had been selected by him to wear on that day, was running short by some rupees, hence postponed the meeting by a week. On the day before, he arranged the money in his dirtily stained, once white shirt pocket, carried the day's last load of passengers speedily, unmindful of the red light. All he saw was the colour of his red shirt in those lights. Nothing could stop his racing heart and the tired feet today.
The speeding car with a red light on it's roof collided with this unfortunate man and just sped away, as expected. It was on official government duty!
People stared at this injured, gasping man with their unconcerned eyes. He breathed his last shortly. The stains on the street would dry down and be erased by tread marks tomorrow.
The shirt was all red in colour, as he had wished for, all this week.
She mourned him for a week and later, married a tea stall owner in the vicinity.
Life had to go on in this cold hearted humid city.