💬 A schoolboy told me my bag was open on the metro and called me uncle

Last Thursday on the Ameerpet metro, packed as usual, I was standing near the door with my bag on my back. A boy in a school uniform, maybe 14, tapped my arm. He said, uncle, your bag is open. My phone was sitting right at the top of the bag, half out, like it wanted to leave. I zipped it up fast and said thank you. He nodded once and went back to his friends. I'm 34. Nobody had called me uncle before that. I was a little offended for about 1 minute. Then I remembered he had just saved a 28000 rupee phone that I'm still paying EMI on. There were at least 5 people standing around me and they could all see it. Only the boy said something. I offered him a chocolate at Madhapur. He said no thanks, we're not supposed to take things. The uncle thing bothers me less now. My neighbour's daughter calls me uncle every morning and I answer. At the office I'm just my first name to everyone. Or sir, if somebody wants a favour. On the metro I'm uncle with the open bag, apparently. I'll take that over being ignored. A year ago I'd have kept walking if I saw somebody's bag open. Not now. I told my sister that night. She laughed for a full minute at the uncle part and sent it to the family group. My cousin replied with 6 laughing faces and the word uncle in capital letters. That went on for a day. Since then I check my zip at every single station, like a man guarding a very small treasure. Two days later I saw an old lady's handbag open at Secunderabad. I told her and she looked at me like a thief.

The boy did the right thing and still got a laugh out of you. Someone called me uncle at 31 in a coffee shop and I checked if there was a person behind me. A 28000 rupee phone almost walking out of a bag is a big deal, though. Have you seen him on the metro again? I would buy him a chocolate and hope he did not mind.

The uncle part made me laugh. A parking guy at Inorbit called me that at 29, and I checked the mirror. That boy did well though. Most people see an open bag and just keep looking at their phones. On a bus last month a woman told me my shirt tag was sticking out for the entire ride. I thanked her way too much. Small things like that stick with me.