FACES / A STORY

Many faces we come across in every day's life and never give thought to how they live or what they do, this is one of those faces which if followed would reveal the realities behind this kind of face.Her name is Meenakshi.
The place where she lives is near a Railway station where only passenger trains stop a few minutes and proceed , but two parallel of railway tracks one near the platform , another on the offside , beyond that track lives hundreds of families live in huts, hovels and hut-like structures only nights. Rest of the time is platform and train . Just begging in the running trains between the stations and come back to the station , nearby their huts are.
Meenakshi has one saari, which she uses so deftly to prevent the ogling eyes, night as a cover from the cold and giving warmth to her two kids; she has seven kids, five of them gone somewhere , where she does not know , but happy at least they will be eating and living somewhere, these two kids are too young , and a husband Ayyaavoo, who is a leper with only stubs as fingers.
Morning sun slowly spreading the rays equally to one and all without discrimination, and the clock of this shanties is one Pappan, who is an handicap , blind but good at singing; once he starts rehearsal means , next train is about to arrive at the platform within few minutes.Hundreds of beggars, both handicapped and able bodied living there, getting ready for their daily chore that is begging.Among them are some dancing girls, who are comparatively 'richer' since night time they are busy......... but kind enough to help others in times when someone ill and not able to go for begging.
Meenakshi's life is like parallel tracks , she knows, one is happiness another one is lifeless living never meeting each other.
Meenakshi starts getting ready, getting ready means sprinkling water and tidying the hair, take a few drops of oil from the lamp ,rubbing between the palms and apply on her face and hands; that is all , she is ready now for begging. She has seen both her young kids sleeping since the time is early morning.One end of the hut she as seen her husband slightly shaking his head and hands.......Oh, he has got up and shouting her to give something to eat. She has gone inside and brought a pot containing the last night's gruel, into which he dipped his stubs [fingers] to find out , whether any rice remaining. She has gone near him and put the pot near his mouth making him drink whatever remained yesterday.
Suddenly he spat the entire gruel on her face , castigating with all words not deserved to be written.
Meenakshi washed her face and swabbed her face with the end of her saari, started to run to catch the train for begging.
Sun is coming up to see her running towards the station.