Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Cobbler and the Insanity bug

Wednesday, May 21, 08
How does it happen that insanity can strike so quickly? Walking Pondy, the government has decided to change the name to Puducherry, but it doesn't appear to have taken hold, I sit a half hour with a cobbler making sandals. These have been ordered by school children and range in sizes from 1 to 9. He cuts out the straps, razor blades each size using a template, glues what needs gluing and now the bottoms. As he works he proudly hands me a plaque issued by the equivalent of the Better Business Bureau commending him on his work ethic. Then the insanity bug strikes. Seated on the sidewalk, he reaches to the side and pours out a few drops from a whiskey bottle and offers me a drink of water. I take several swallows, careful not to touch my lips to the opening. But, the water? What about the water? I shiver thinking about what I've done. 24 hours from now will give me the answer!

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