A DIALOGUE

~ A dialogue between a young boy and an old man. Starting with the old man greeting.

 Hello!

Hello.

Beautiful girl!

Thank you!

Good investment!

This one’s an expense!

Not yours?

My associate’s!

Accomplice in a cheat are you?

Playing football. Cannot worry about the goalkeeper.

Why not find your own?

Someone else will play around.

Hypocrisy!

I see it the way I want. You see it the way you want.

 

I take photos.

So you are a photographer. 

If need arises, I can make shelter in the forest using logic to survive. Do I become an engineer then? 

There was a time when you said yes to all that came your way. Now that you found your way, you choose. What made that change?

Time changes.

Material gain before unaccountable passion? 

Advice often goes free. It’s counselling that eventually charges, isn’t it?

Dichotomy of a doing. Open to debate.

A hobby can’t be an occupation?

Kills the innocence of enthusiasm.

But also keeps us happy.

Trafficking happiness?

Valuing time.

Thoughtful.

Wisdom.

………..

 

What do you do, sir?

Nothing substantial for your taste now. 

A doing is still inevitable…

Well, then I grow old these days.

Does that pay?

Oh yes, just invest properly now.

Thoughtful.

Wisdom.

……….

I used to write when I was young.

Write what?

Anything. Things that I believed in and about things that didn’t need my belief.

Had a name?

Well, a good name amongst the ordinary ones who don’t understand the skill much. But an ordinary name amongst the ones who claim to be scholars. 

Haha. Isn’t this life?

Certainly! Life of an ego trip. 

When you hear about someone from someone who knows about you, you tend to disagree the knowing of that someone so that you stay known to the one who knows about you.

Thoughtful.

Wisdom.

Little too early?

When is the right time?

……….

You take photos of what?

Of everything and anything.

Meaning?

From objects to people, from nature or accidental. My camera has witnessed most of it.

People like to be photographed. Objects have to be photographed. Nature invites to be photographed and accidents were destined to be photographed. Where is the photographer’s prerogative to photograph here?

I choose if I may.

Well, you chose right in the beginning.

That was passion.

And now?

Thoughtful.

Wisdom.

 

………. 

What are you going to do with these photos?

I am going to keep them as a memory.

You are old and dying. Memory of what and for who?

Memory for the ones who don’t see what they lack. But only see what is inevitable.

I don’t understand.

Come to my home. My garden in the backyard. My roses will wait for you.

You want me to take photos of your roses?

Yes! My fragrant roses.

I am sorry sir, but I am busy.

I know you are. You just have become. But they are not ordinary roses. They are shy.

I really don’t understand you now.

It seems you have forgotten how to stay curious about what you don’t understand.

Excuse me?

I stay just behind those fields. Come someday, some morning. I can make you good tea.

……….

Your garden is bigger than your house.

The trees grew and how could I stop them. But I could stop my wants in the house.

Umm okay. Where are the roses?

Please sit. Let me get you a cup of tea and then I take you to the fragrant roses.

Sure.

Is that your wife in the picture?

Oh yes she is! Beautiful lady isn’t she?

Rhetorical question huh!

No no. A subjective opinion.

Meaning?

The woman we love is always beautiful, isn’t she?

Haha! True. Then why ask if she is beautifiul to me?

Rhetorical question boy!

……….

Here! Have a sip of fresh green tea.

Thank you sir.

Would you like to bite some cookies with it?

You have cookies?

What do you mean by that. My house isn’t that small for the cookies!

Haha! I meant at this age you enjoy cookies?

At what age must I enjoy cookies? When I was a boy my father didn’t let me enjoy cookies with a reason that my teeth will get spoilt. Now I am old and I barely have the strength in my teeth to bite. When does one enjoy what he enjoys.

Thoughtful.

Wisdom.

Age?

Experience.

Age!

My father was wrong. I was right. What age!

Haha!

 Thank you so much for the tea. Refreshing indeed.

Let’s go to the fragrant roses. Take your camera.

Sure.

 

……….

 

Good morning! Here are your photos.

Aah! Let me see them if you saw what I see.

Well, the photographs are good to me. Your roses are red and happy as we saw.

Yes! But are these my fragrant roses?

Of course they are! Don’t you see it?

No I don’t boy. I see it the way I want. You see it the way you want.

Meaning?

These are just roses. Not my fragrant roses.

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