A woman at the park was crying on the phone in Hindi. I asked if she was okay and she told me her boyfriend just broke up with her.
I was at the park last Sunday just sitting on a bench and reading because it was a nice day and I wanted to be outside instead of stuck in my apartment. There was this woman sitting on a bench maybe twenty feet away from me and she was on the phone and she was crying.
She was speaking Hindi so I could hear most of what she was saying because I grew up speaking Hindi at home with my parents. I was not trying to eavesdrop but the park was quiet and she was not exactly being quiet about it.
She was saying stuff like "mujhe samajh nahi aa raha kya karun" and "woh mujhe chhod kar chala gaya" and "main akeli hoon." She kept wiping her face with her sleeve and her voice was cracking the whole time.
I sat there for a few minutes trying to decide if I should say anything because I did not want to make her uncomfortable or embarrassed. But she was really upset and nobody else was around and I thought if I was crying like that in public I would want someone to at least ask if I was okay.
So I walked over and I said in Hindi "maaf kijiye. main sun raha tha aapko. kya main kuch madad kar sakta hoon?"
She looked up at me and she had this surprised look on her face like she did not expect anyone to understand her. She said "aap Hindi jaante hain?"
I said "haan. meri family hai."
She was quiet for a second and then she said "mujhe abhi pata chala ki mere boyfriend ne mujhe dhoka diya hai." And she started crying again.
I sat down on the bench next to her and I said "main samajh sakta hoon ke aapko kitna bura lag raha hoga. kya aap baat karna chahti hain?"
She told me about her boyfriend of three years and how she found out he was cheating on her and she had no idea and she felt stupid and she moved to this city for him and now she has no friends or family nearby and she just felt completely alone.
I listened to her for maybe ten minutes and I did not give her advice or try to fix anything. I just let her talk. She said "aapko kya lagta hai mujhe karna chahiye?"
I said "honestly I don't know. I have never been in that situation. but I think you should call someone you trust. even if they are far away. just to hear a friendly voice."
She said "I don't want to bother anyone."
I said "you are not a bother. thats what people are for."
She smiled a little and said "thank you. you are very kind."
I said "I hope things get better for you."
She said "I think they will. it just hurts right now."
We sat there for a few more minutes and then she said she was going to go home and call her sister. She thanked me again and walked away.
I never saw her again. I don't even know her name. But I think about her sometimes and I hope she is doing okay.