Being met with distaste or a short gasp of revulsion didn’t bother 10-year-old Sameer. His unkempt hair, shabby shirt, and broken teeth might be a thing of disgust for others, but not for him. He had bigger things to worry about.
Overshadowed by his hunger strained face, his innocence had started to fray at the ends. Squatting outside the bakery every day, he would patiently wait for customers to drop him scraps of food. Strangely, as soon as he received something, anything, he would immediately scamper off to the end of the street.
Observing this odd behaviour was Neil, one of the waiters at the bakery. Every single day, he would bear witness to the situation with silent stoicism. As much as he felt sorry for the kid, he couldn’t help but be curious about why, after persistent badgering for food from customers, would he disappear, instead of satiating his hunger right then.
One day after his shift, Neil decided to follow Sameer. Not wanting to make himself conspicuous, he hid behind a pole away from the kid. As expected, the usual charade repeated itself. As soon as the little boy was handed a packet of bread, he scuttled away to the far corner of the street. Neil hurried after him.
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