Ooh la la...coca cola....!

Same time last year..I happened to be in Atlanta..to meet my friends.! It was wonderful meeting them, seeing them and catching up with each other after so many years. After the initial excitement, we decided to go around Atlanta, and spent the whole day seeing places which interested all of us. The Coca-cola Factory was of course the main attraction and worth the visit! Atlanta seems to be the place where Coca cola originated. Very informative Tour with lot of displays ,the production places, international bottles, colours, tasting machines,,etc etc kept us busy for hours..! AS a return gift every one receives a Classic Coca cola Bottle..which is of course glass and sealed. The original and very first Coca cola bottles are our take home gifts. Now we were the proud owners of the original bottles! Happily we returned to our hotel rooms. Soon it was time for my friends to say good bye, as they had to drive down to their home town! My flight was little later, so I had to stay back till my pick up time! Since I had lot of time, I went for a walk ..carefully of course, and picked up some food so that I can eat in my hotel room. I did not buy any drink, as I wanted to drink my own Coca Cola which I kept in the fridge already! In air crafts liquids are not allowed, and it being a glass one I had no intention of carrying it with me back home like how my friends had done. I did not wanted to throw it, since they said its the original,classic formula! Anyways...I returned to my Hotel..Marriott inns-suites, and asked for an opener at the front desk. The receptionist looked at me and said the hotel does not have a bottle opener! I was like WHAT? Yes , he said..we don't have a restaurant attached, so we don't have any such stuff for any one to use! He looked at me strangely and asked why do I want the bottle opener? What kind of bottle do I have? I was quick enough to guess, he was thinking I may be an alcoholic! I don't drink a drop of alcohol at what ever good times, not even wine, champagne! Never tasted one nor will ever do, I hope! So I went and fetched the coke bottle from fridge and showed him, "your city gave this to me, and I thought of having it right here, instead of taking it with me, that's all it is. If you have no opener on you, no worries!" I sat in the lobby reading some book, instead of going to my room. A delivery truck soon came, in front to deliver some stuff to the hotel front desk. Immediately the black guy who was talking to me till then told the delivery guy.."hey man, this lady here is looking for a bottle opener, do you have one". He looked at me, and again I got to see the same expression in this mans eyes as well! So I just pointed at my coke bottle which was on the table in front of me!Immediately that man came closer, and asked me in Hindi, "Aap kis mulkh se ho? Surprised, I said I am from India. He said he is a Pakistani, and extended his hand. Then he said , for us, Indians or Pakistanis, unlike this whites and blacks God has given special brains. Do you have a key or any such sharp thing? I did not, but told him, its OK..I really don't need to have that coke at all! What touched me most was his efforts, to help me, a lady who is very much like him, an Asian, sitting alone in the lobby, and all I was asking was a bottle to be opened! He then asked me, hope you don't mind if I do this...and wrapped the seal with a tissue, and with his teeth he just opened the bottle! Is mulkh mein hum sab ek hain! Pakistan Aur Hindustan alag Thodi hi? Is Pakistan and Hindustan different from each other, same way you are no different to me, but like my sister! Enjoy the Coke.. he said smiling! I thanked him profusely and then of course had the divine drink with my food! In India, when there is a cricket match between Pakistan and India, every one is so tensed. The streets will be deserted. There will be fire works when we win, and there will be violence in Muslim areas when we lose! Such love-hate relationship we see between these 2 countries. But meeting a Pakistani in a foreign land had no such feelings neither with him, nor with me! It was like Thank God I got to see a familiar face kind of feeling for me, and a fellow country lady needs help, and I need to help her, is all that I could see in that man, God bless him! If not this incident I would still continue thinking like always about Pakisthanis! "My coca cola"!!...it gave me a broader picture to understand our neighbours and I really am happy about it.!Ooh la la...Coca cola!