That Smile (The Charmer)

One Saturday, I wanted to go for a walk outside, as Bangalore after May/June is 80s and low humidity. Quite a paradise to be outside when the sun breaks through the clouds! Well, there are several lakes in the city limits of Bangalore. I asked the driver to please take me to a certain lake that I had located on-line. The driver conferred with several people before we left, as Bangalore is a big city, and growing so fast that not everything has caught up to GPS. So off we went. We ended up at another lake with a name just as long, with the Indian “most common letters found in names” U, V, K and N (in no particular order, but be assured the name is LONG). I did not think we were at the lake I had written down and given to him, but we were indeed at a lake, and there was a trail, so I was content. I got out and walked and it was a beautiful green area. Pictures here do not show how nice the water appeared. As I walked I realized the lake trail was under some construction, and heard some machinery pass by me several times. I was lucky I did not have on headphones, as I needed to “jump out of the way” the first time I saw a “worker” riding precariously on a moving portion of the heavy machinery passing by, where there is no seatbelt (see picture below and please refer to future blog “Indians are Fearless!")

The highlight of my walk was seeing a family, carrying jugs of water on their head. When I first saw this, I was dying to take a picture, but did not want to seem rude. I took out my phone and motioned to see if I could, and they did not seem to mind. On my way back, the women who had been carrying water, now had their whole family together, and motioned to stop ME to take more pictures of everyone. They kept placing various family members in front of me and we had the most fun in this photo session. This was the nicest, most genuine family, and I had such a nice time meeting them. The “father figure” was absolutely magnetic to me. I could tell this family was not particularly rich in wealth, but rather had riches in DNA through chemical inheritance that enabled a sense of happiness and well-being. The man with the million dollar smile was SUCH A CHARMER. I have not forgotten him since I left the lake that day. That smile has not left me, and I will never forget this man and his family.