Seeds

On a Wednesday evening, I decided to stop at a paani puri stall for a mid week treat to myself while driving back from work. That is when I met her, our eyes locked and without any hesitation I asked her if she wanted to have some. She agreed, though with some resistance. I watched the innocence on her face and how someone her age had to do what she was upto. After having a few, she signalled that she is done. When I was about to leave, she insisted that I took a couple of pencils that she was selling. She didn't want anything in return - not even a penny, for her mother wouldn't want her to take donations - not even in the form of few paani puri.

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He woke up to his mom's knock on the door. He stretched, reached out to his window and pulled the curtains off. Bright sunlight filled his room. Few minutes later, he gets out of bed, freshens himself and after a breakfast of orange juice and toast, his father drops him off to school. After school, he takes a cab back home and immediately rushes to the nearby playground for a game of cricket with his friends. His coach tells him how he needs to improve on his strokes. Later in the night, his uncle takes him and his cousin for a stroll and they end up visiting their favourite ice cream parlour.

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He roamed around with a couple of his friends with iron sticks in hand. Checking every pile of garbage at each corner, they looked for food, clothes or anything else that they could use. Usually he would have to be careful around a pile, for broken pieces of metal or glass may hurt him in his feet. But he felt fearless today - as though no one could do anything wrong to him - for he found a pair of shoes - one slightly torn and one without laces - dents he barely cared about - for it was a fortune, one that could feed his hunger for a few days even if he found no food.

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He is full until his neck yet he tries to finish up the remaining bit on his plate. He waits for folks to complete their dinner as well, gets up at the end and washes his soiled utensils by himself. After calling it a night, he walks off to his room and gets to his diary. He mentions how his cousin - of the same age as he - can afford to leave his plate at the table for the maid to wash. He recalls how he could not watch his favourite show as his cousin's show extended beyond the usual schedule. He remembers his parents, makes a silent prayer to them and dozes off with tears.

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Her parents call her in the living room to meet her uncle who has come to visit them after few months. He got a teddy and a box of chocolates for the five year old. She peeks from behind the curtains and is hesitant to come forward - but barely has any other option. As the thirty year old uncle tries to give her a hug, she runs the opposite way. It wasn't long ago that she had to stay with her uncle when her little brother was born - for her memories are fresh and so are her wounds.