There is a homeless, lonely woman, who sleeps under the bridge on a pavement at a traffic signal. For the last 5 years, I have been seeing her, sitting at the same spot, sometimes sleeping, sometimes talking with someone. She has a small cloth bundle with her own things, a mat to sleep in and a few utensils. It’s like her own little home under the sky. Most of the time she would be passed out from drugs or alcohol (whatever helps to survive such a life), but on occasional days, I would find her all neat and clean, sitting and chatting with someone as if they were having their little tea party.

Everyday I would stop at the traffic signal, look at her and think of asking her the story of her life and what made her make this place her home. How does she survive daily, where does she bathe, how does she earn money? But everyday, the signal would turn green and I would drive away, forgetting about the woman under the bridge as soon as she was out of sight. It’s not that I wanted to forget, it’s just that I knew she would be sitting here tomorrow again when I’m going back home.

Then one day she ceased to exist, just gone without a trace. I was at the signal at the same time as always but she was not there. She was gone and all her things were gone, it’s like she never existed. I don’t think she was a figment of my imagination, I did see her everyday for 5 years so my mind couldn’t have been playing tricks on me. She was real and now she is not. Does anyone miss homeless people? Does anyone even notice if they are gone?

The plight of homeless people is terrible especially if you are a woman. From trying to protect your modesty from the lechers of the world to fending your dignity, it’s not an easy path. Ofcourse, people can change it, she could have got up, started working and made a proper honest living but she chose to live on that same spot under the flyover for 5 years. Maybe that’s how she wanted to live, I don’t feel pity on her, it just feels weird to not see her again. 

Human mind always thinks of the worst things but for her, I would like to think that she is still alive and after 5 years, decided to look for another flyover. I still make a sideways glance, hoping she would be back but I think the woman under the flyover is gone forever..