An act of fairness

I give bread every Sunday to the poor who are assembled at the gate of the adjacent church. I carry twenty packets. Most days this is found adequate. Some days there are more beggars with virtually a scramble for the limited number available. Some would take the bread, hide it and move to sit in another place in the line to collect extra bread. Keeping an alert eye, I would not give to the same person twice as there were not many to go around. I also avoided giving to able bodied men unless I had surplus. It is still difficult to remember their faces. Only on some rare rainy days a few packets would be rendered surplus.
There was some special service in the church that day. Many had come to pray and the road was jam packed with cars and vendors. It was a hot day and the beggars were all sitting line with protruding hands seeking alms. I feared they were too many for the number I carried with me. I started giving from the head of the line on both sides of the gate. When I came at the end of the line, I was followed by many clamouring for the bread. I knew some of them have collected already. I had one packet left. I saw a small girl of eleven standing in a corner. She was polio affected. Gawky with unkempt hair, she did not move towards me but was watching me. I went near her and thrust the packet in her hands .

As I was moving away, I felt a tug at my shirt. There was this girl with sad eyes looking up at me. Thinking that she was asking for one more packet I bellowed in anger “I gave you just now. How dare you pull my shirt?” Holding a packet in her hand she replied in meek voice “Sir, you had given me twice by mistake. The second one you thrust on my hands and went away even before I could open my mouth. Please give this to some one else” I was struck with remorse for my unjustified anger and was greatly touched by her sense of fairness amidst the deceit all around her. “That is all right. Keep this also with you” ,I answered with a smile thrusting a ten rupee note at her out stretched hand.