I could not stop that.... you now know ! ;-)

For a week or so, I let out a sigh of sympathy. Then for a week I let out a sigh of joy and then for the rest of those days, I let out a sigh of envy ! - All directed at one person in particular. The person in question is a dwarfish man ( I don't know if its rude to call him that), standing outside Kemp Kids on M G Road.

This person is a 'small' man of about 3 feet or so in height. His job is to don a suit of various animals and stand outside the Kids Kemp shop welcoming the customers and the kids who walk in. He is short, has a rough edge to his face, has a grumpy look perennialy and dresses shabbily when not inside that suit. But once inside the furry suit, he seems to be such a cute little dynamite. He plays around with the kids, waves good-byes to the people passing by the shop, gives little fluffy candies to kids and gives them hugs. Thats his job.

Earlier, I started to be really sorry on seeing him eking out a living by doing such a 'menial' job. Thats why the sigh of sympathy. That's when I saw certain other things.

The kids were so comfortable playing around with the furry dog or a roly-poly rabbit. They enthusiastically shook his hands and climbed on top of him. He was equally happy in cupping their tiny hands and giving them hi-fives ! Thats when I started giving out sigh of joy

This became a daily activity for me gradually. I used to step out of office to have a cup of tea near this store and used to pass by the place where our 'dummy man' stands. Some times when there were no kids to play around with, he would try and while away his time by waving at us and blabbering nonsensical gibberish through the mask over him.... How funny I used to think. I used to just give him my typical smile and move along. And other times I used to see him sitting on his chair, carressing and lovingly playing with a kid. One image will never be erased out of my memory... the image of a small 3 year old girl, sitting on his lap and hugging him. And he too wrapped his claws/hands around her. She sensed this and tightened her hold, her tiny & chubby fingers cushioning inside his furry exterior. What a poignant moment that was !!! I could imagine his face slowly relaxing and enjoying this show of affection, even though I could not see his face inside the mask.
How a little girl, with her innocence, ironed out the creases on his forehead. How a 'simple' job like his, gave him the comforts that I could never get !

Thats when I started to sigh out of envy !

How I would also love to swap places with him, just to experience the touch of child over my skin! My skin has burnt out of lack of touch. An innocent touch of a child, gives me such a tremendous adrenaline rush that I cannot capture it in words or emotions. Everytime any kid - be it my relatives' or my friends'or even strangers'- hugs me or touches me, I feel so elated. Not even a woman's touch feels so good as does a little child's. It comes second only to my mother's touch. :-)