The Tale Of An Old Ladies' Cycle

Since the past 10 months an old ladies' cycle has been parked inside our compound. All of us used to pass by wondering to whom it could belong, but none had the inclination nor the time to question, so it stood there braving the sun's heat and several downpours. It was locked. It had punctured tyres and the brake system had given way.

Once our complex became clean with a fresh coat of paint, this cycle was an eye-sore. So an elderly couple who walk around inside our compound began urging me to dispose it off to some raddiwala or better still donate it to their servant maid's daughter who is learning to cycle from the past couple of months.

As I am the secretary of the flats' association, I asked around whether it belonged to any of them. I got answers from all except one family (who had two little boys, the lady would never step outside her home leave alone ride a bike and her husband rode a motorbike). Also they were away for a couple of days when the pressure to dispose it off mounted too much to bear anymore. I am busy too with my work yet I could have waited for them to come back, called and enquired with them too and then disposed it off. I cursed myself for not doing that. But I had the presence of mind to make it a conditional gift.

I decided that the young school-going girl who comes to sweep our stairs and compound should be preferred over an individual's maid servant. I informed those present and asked the girl's mother to take it away, repair it and use it but with one condition, should anyone come and claim it later as their, then they should be ready to part with it. They agreed to my condition and took it away. Got it repaired. The girl seemed so happy and would ride the bicycle to school and to the shops nearby to buy things for her mother. A week passed this way.

The family whose cycle it was, noticed its absence and wanted it back at any cost since it was not theirs either, but belonged to the lady's sister who got it as a gift from her late father. Though all these months it was gathering dust and never used even once, yet now, she desperately wanted to use it to go to the library nearby, etc.

I was pained as it involved getting it back through constant follow ups with the girl's mother. The girl just refused to come to work in our complex fearing our reminders to hand back the cycle which she had come to enjoy riding so much. Could understand her feelings too as she is a very young girl and how difficult it must be to part with a gift even if it were to be a conditional one.

I had to assure this girl that I shall see about purchasing another one for her if she returned this one to us. The affected family also joined me in saying they will also contribute towards purchase of a second hand cycle for her.

She kept dodging for 3 days but today she reluctantly got it back. I was overjoyed that one part of my job got over.

The other part is to search for a good second hand ladies' cycle from some local source and gift it to this poor girl.

Cheers.

Mahalakshmi