Expectation...

I was waiting for my bus at vadapalani signal. A frail old lady comes to me and with choking voice and tear-swelled eyes says she hasn't eaten for two days. She wanted some money. I've heard people say that you must not encourage beggars or you cannot make a difference so why shell out coins for them and so on; but one cannot stand the eyes speaking of hunger. I take out some money and give her and resume chatting with my friend who was coming with me. I casually looked around after sometime and found this old lady in a nearby shop with a coke bottle in her hand. A coke bottle?? I thought she would get a loaf of bread or some bananas with the money I gave her to satiate herself and here she drinks a coke? Coke is still a costly option for someone who struggles for survival... For a fleeting moment I had this thought of disappointment that I was exploited by her pitiful state; maybe she lied to me... Anyway it doesn't matter. Maybe she was hungry... Maybe she was very thirsty... I gave her money and should I expect that she spends it judiciously? Funny! She gulps down the drink, wipes her mouth with her sari and moves on to the crowd waiting for the bus...