A Baby Monkey and I

I almost made friends with a baby monkey a couple of days ago.

I alighted from a train at a Metro station in Delhi and was on my way out. As I descended a staircase, I saw a female monkey and her little one seated on the railing a little distance apart.

As I passed them, I looked at the little one, smiled and said, "Hello, how are you doing?" He hopped down from his perch and started following me downstairs without me realising it. 

When I happened to glance over my shoulder after a while, I saw him right behind me. When I stopped, he did, too, and sat up attentively. So, without moving a finger, I told him, "I have nothing for you to eat."

He seemed to understand perfectly what I had said, turned around, and returned to where his mother was.

I spoke to him in Punjabi, my mother tongue, both times, but he seemed to grasp my intent, and language was never a barrier between us.

Later, I wished I had sat on my haunches without making any sudden movements, and perhaps he would have shaken hands with me before he left.