the beggar
That first day in India, a horribly deformed man walking on his hands and feet followed Frank. He walked that way because his backbone was twisted. He followed Frank down the street to his hotel calling out all along the way ,"Sir. Sir". Frank was sickened and horrified and rushed by without acknowledging him. It was really too much to take in. He felt horribly guiltly ignoring this poor man. Everytime he went out he was there waiting , "Sir. Sir.", like some ghost from a nightmare. On the third day, Frank bought a bag of fruit and food for lunch. As he walked back to the hotel , the man appeared again. Getting ready to move on quickly ,Frank hesitated and looked at the man's face for the first time. He was smiling. It was an amazing smile that immediately disarmed him. It was a joyous smile. It was a smile without identity and out of time. It was bright and sunny and said only , "Hello. I'm alive and you're alive and we are here together and isn't life amazing." Frank smiled back and said hello. The beggar answered and they started to talk. Frank felt a little awkward towering above the beggar like that so he sat down on the curb next to him.
The beggar told him of his life.
" My family lives 350 miles north of Bombay. I come here every week to beg then returned on the 11 hour train. I give all my money to my family. They let me ride the train for free because I'm a cripple." he said with great pleasure. They talked for about ten minutes. During that time the man no longer seemed like a cripple at all, but a very sweet and spiritual person. At the end Frank offered the man some of the food he had just bought. Frank had feared that it would be too little and was a bit embarrassed, but the man was genuinely thrilled with it.
"Oh thank you so much. You are very kind. I'm very hungry right now and now I won't have to spend my family's money on food." And then he said something that Frank was to remember all the rest of his life.
"I hope in my next life I will be lucky and that I can help you". It said so much about him these words. He was a Hindu and believed in reincarnation. He had no doubts that he would be back, that this life was all a play of souls in everchanging bodies. Also the fact that one person was rich and another was just a matter of karma. It was playing the cards you were dealt. Underneath we were all equal. But his reason for wanting to be "lucky " the next time around was so that he could help Frank and others who had helped him. This all coming from a horribly deformed man that just the day before Frank didn't even want to look at. He had seen the beauty of a great man's heart.
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