An Angel in Disguise or A Devil with a Mask

I was enjoying my life with my new roommates. Days were passing by swiftly. Things were changing, I was learning and always working on my routine to make time for the things I love to do such as reading, writing, walking, meditating etc. One of my habit which I never changed was going for a walk. I always somehow manage to make time  to go for a walk in a day either in the morning or in the evening. It is the time when I spend quality time with myself, it helps me clear my head, read my thoughts and recharge my energy. It is the time when I make important decisions of my life that in normal hour I usually procrastinate. This might sound weird but I don't like people accompanying me when I go for a walk, that one hour time is all mine and I don't like sharing it with anyone because then it is like a normal chit chatting time where  my mind will be distracted. This incident which I am sharing took place after one month or so after I shifted to my new room. I was on my way to take a regular walk after my dinner and something strange happened. On my way there came a strong built man in his late thirties asking me electra(Place where I stay) KFC address, I guided him with the way but god knows why he continued talking to me, telling me about himself and kept on asking me useless and annoying questions like am I married?  Where am I going? I was not comfortable and when we reached KFC, I told him this is the spot, I was relieved that atleast now I don't need to bear his questions, but what he said next definitely scared and surprised me, he said " Of course I know where Electra KFC is, I know this place very well, I stay here only, I approached you because I figured out that you are an Indian and even my bhabi is from India, I am a pakistani and is single just like Salman Khan "(At the back on my mind I was thinking why on earth he is telling me this things, what should I do if he is a Salman Khan fan or his bhabi is from India. Salman khan has many fans and his bhabi's homecountry being India doesn't makes him a trustworthy person) and then told me that there is this bedspace if I need place to stay in future. He was wasting my precious hour of the day but still I didn't lose my calm & was trying my best to get rid of him by answering that I don't need any bedspace and is happy with my current place and that I am in a hurry. But he kept on insisting me to save his number in case I need it in future, if I am looking for bedspace in future. At the back of my mind my thoughts were," Ja na bhai, nahi chahiye tera number, mujhe akela chod do please, I am really not interested in this talk and you are wasting my time" I so wanted to utter these words to him but I couldn't. But he kept telling me, "what's wrong in saving a number for future correspondence". Now he was getting on my nerves, I was facing difficulty in getting rid of him beacuse I was scared and angry at the same time.  Further he asked me where am I going ? To which I said to the nearby shop and with this I started to walk hurriedly. He too started walking with me and continued to gave me his unpleasant company telling me that he is going the same way.

I couldn't figure a way out. But you see help comes when you most need it. Help came to me when suddenly I saw a man near KFC where I used to see him regularly on my way to walk. I always used to see this old man with his two grandson. We never talked. He gave me familiar look, I greeted him and he started talking to me. I guess he somehow was able to sense my uncomfortness with that man. We started talking to which that Pakistani man went ahead and eventually disappeared in the streets. I was really grateful to this old man, He was from kerala and was living with his son in Abu Dhabi and usually gets out at this hour i.e., 9.00 pm to take a walk with his grandsons. I talked to that old man till the time I was assured that I no longer can see that pakistani guy. We talked a little and then one of his grandsons told him to get them home, kids were getting bored. So he turned to his home direction and told me to come along so that he can accompany me to my home to assure my safety. I started walking along with him. He told me that from my body language he figured out that I was uncomfortable with that man so he came for my rescue. He told me he know that kind of people , he came near me and touched my back and uttered in a low voice, " I know this kind of people, they just want to f**k you" These were his exact words. You have no idea how I felt that very moment. I escaped from one trap and fell into another, this was the first thought that crossed my mind. It was like "aasaman se gire aur khajoor me atake" Now the very person who helped me, I started doubting him, don't know why? Maybe because he told me the truth using harsh words that kerala side people don't use. As a south Indian I know south Indian people are very conservative and polite in language. I now was trying to figure out ways to escape his company in a way that might not hurt his respect because I was not sure what I was thinking about him made sense or not. In the mean time we reached his building. He told me to wait outside his building till the time he safely drop his grandsons to home. I told him that I can go home from here but he was continuously insisting me to wait till the time he will come back which didn't make sense to me, Still I said "okay". I could see him disappearing in the building with his two grandsons. There were some guys sitting on the building staircase, I was already scared and feeling uneasy and above it waiting like this was making me more uncomfortable, I waited outside his building for a minute or so. I desperately wanted to reach home and somewhere in, there was a struggle going on between my heart & brain so I decided to go with my gut feeling.

" Always trust your gut. because if you feel something is wrong that's because it usually is"

I left from there without a word and till the time I reached home I was repeatedly turning back to see that no one is following me. I was so terrified that I felt like every other person on the street is staring at me , I don't know when my eyes became wet and I could feel tears in my eyes. Some tears rolling down my cheeks  Somehow I gathered myself and reached home safely with only one feeling " Fear". I directly went to the washroom to splash some cold water on my face to calm myself and then I went to my bed and tried sleeping but that incident was bothering me with many thoughts flooding my mind. For many days after this incident I didn't went out for a walk and it was suffocating. So I decided to let go off all my fears and doubts and I again started going on walk. It is when I understood the true meaning of the lines which I read on Courage, which said,

"Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway"

I am not sure about the second person. It might be that I misinterpreted his intentions, he actually might be trying to help me out and his direct use of words might have scared me. But already the decision was taken and I left that, what' s done is done, there is no looking back. I think you never know what is there on other person' s mind so I guess I took the right decision. Guilty about only one thing that if at all that second person is good hearted, I considered him a bad guy, guilty for doubting and picturing him that way because considering his age he is like a grandfather figure to me.   I don' t know what I did was right or wrong ? All I can say that both were strangers so, I couldn't trust anyone irrespective of country, cast, creed, colour, nationality & race. I chose to trust myself and I am thankful to god for his grace and blessing and for giving me right state of mind at that very moment to take that step and for the decision to leave.

So I suggest everyone,
"Be careful who you trust ,The devil was once an angel"


Post Script: Again after one month or so from this incident. I went for Grocery shopping. I was with a friend, we were tired so sat on a bench which was there outside the supermarket. Suddenly out of blue that pakistani man came, he saw me but this time he approached my friend and asked for a random address. I was sitting right next to my friend. I told him just don't answer this man, he is crazy and fooling you. So we simply got up and left. Initially my friend couldn't understand why I said that but once I narrated my story, he finally got the point. My first encounter with this man was scary but this time it was funny. All we did was laugh

Although one question is still bothering me about that second man, was he an angel in disguise or a devil with a mask?