me in Kolkata. Voila! I cried, sounding like Hercule Poroit. I marveled at my own idea. Very soon, some of the grocery items were neatly placed inside the tree. I walked back home. After about a break of 30 minutes, I decided to return to the park to fetch the rest of the items. As I neared the park, I saw an elderly British gentleman with a pipe and a dog staring curiously at the tree. The dog was barking madly and was off leash going round and round in circles around the tree. Little did I realize that the dog had smelled my chicken and sausage stowed in the tree. As I approached the gentleman, he gave me a not-so-happy look. In fact, he looked irritated. He was mumbling “I have been taking walks in the park for 10 years but never have I seen Archie behave so weird” “I have my groceries inside the tree”, I quipped. “A what?” He roared. I thought he was livid. “I need to call the police.” A police car idling near the hospital, and he waived at it. The car turned around and headed in our direction. My knees were shaking and I started wailing loudly. I was more embarrassed by the fact that once my husband came to know of it, he would think I am silly and take away my magic card. I mustered all my strength and explained the situation to the Officer in one breath. The Officer looked amused. He calmed the gentleman, sent him on his way and turned around and picked up my groceries Hop into my car Sue! I shall give you a ride back home. On our way, we chatted. His name was John. I offered him tea and Indian snacks in my flat. He refused to eat anything as he was on duty. Before leaving, he said, “Call us if ever you need help and pointed to the phone.” I reminded him not to mention the incident to my husband. I was sure he would somehow meet him at the hospital. ‘No, I won’t, he promised and left.” A few weeks went by. One fine morning, I found that somebody had left a big parcel at my front door. When I opened the package, I found a sturdy shopping cart with wheels. It had a small card signed by John that read “Christmas Gift.” Hope you like it” As I look back, I am so glad I had experienced all that craziness and I conclude without redemption that it was one of the best life experiences ever. UPAHAAR 2021 উপহার ১৪২৮ 35
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