By Savitri Narayanan
“Maji, I’m going!”, Khushi called out as she opened the front door.
“Come back before it gets dark!” her mother said as usual.
“Must be cooking dinner and getting ready to go to Kapoor aunty’s,” thought Khushi as she tied her shoe laces, picked up her skipping rope and headed for the gate.
Since Papaji passed away a year ago, life changed in many ways. Since then, it was just the two of them at home. Nobody came home in the evenings, parked the motorbike and entered the home with a bagful of things! Somewhere there was an emptiness, a silent space.
As time passed, both Khushi and Maji got used to it.
“There’s enough money in the bank for us to live; you can study as much as you wish,” Maji had confided one day, “but I need to do something!”
In the mornings, when Khushi was in School, she went to the Panchayat’s Skill Centre where women got together to knit, sew and make art items which were marketed by an NGO. In the evenings, Maji offered to cook dinner for a family. “How does she manage to do all this and still be around when I’m home?” Khushi wondered.
“We don’t borrow or take any freebies from anybody,” Maji often said aloud to herself. “We live within our means!”
Every evening Khushi went out to play with her friends. They stayed in Serene Gardens, the housing complex just two blocks away. Those girls were in different classes but went to the same school. The pick-up point of the school bus was at the Serene Gardens’ gate so Khushi too would walk down there, board the bus with her friends. Serene Gardens had a large playground with swings, slides, tunnels and climbing bars. Helen and Urmila loved the swings. Marie often joined the others to play pakda pakdi or basketball. Khushi joined any group and played any game. Just being in Serene Gardens with her friends itself was fun!
Urmila was sitting on the park bench by herself. There was hardly anyone around except for a few on the swings.
“Glad you’re here,” Urmila came forward cheerfully. “Helen and Marie must be in the church,” said Khushi. Being the Christmas season, the church had several events lined up. Usually, children went along with their parents.
“No wonder, the park looks deserted,” thought Khushi.
“See my New Year gift! Isn’t it beautiful!” said Urmila passing on the doll she was holding.
“Indeed,” said Khushi admiring the doll. It was clad in maroon dress with golden lace. Its eyes closed when ‘sleeping’ on the ground and opened while ‘standing’!
“Amazing!” said Urmila.
As they sat on the park bench with the doll, the sky darkened.
“I better go home before it rains,” Khushi got up.
“Oh! No! Come home with me, we’ll play indoors!” said Urmila reluctant to let her friend go.
“Maji says ‘never go to anyone’s house’, so I must go!”
“Mom is home, you can call from her phone,” persisted Urmila. Khushi got a warm welcome at Urmila’s.
“Let them play for a while, Didi,” Urmila’s mom did the talking. “If it rains, I will escort Khushi home; no worries!”
Urmila’s room had lots of toys. Vehicles, stuffed toys, teddy bear and many dolls – the shelves were stacked, some lay on the carpet too!
“Looks like a toy shop!” said Khushi as a yellow doll in a corner caught her eye. It was small, soft, yellow doll with a plait and a hairclip too!
As she picked up and hugged the tiny doll, her eyes moistened. Papaji had gifted it once, may be for her birthday. Khushi liked it so much that she carried it wherever she went. Once in the train on the way back from their village in Bihar, the doll had slipped out of Khushi’s hands.
“Stop! Stop! My doll,” Khushi had wailed.
The train chugged ahead. Through tears Khushi had one last glimpse of her yellow doll, abandoned on the tracks.
As she hugged the doll, years of welled-up tears flowed down.
“You keep it, friend,” Urmila hugged Khushi, “See, I’ve so many dolls!”
“No, I can’t, Maji says ‘don’t take any freebies from anyone’…”
“But it’s not a freebie,” insisted Urmila, “You’re my friend, I can surely gift you a doll!”
“Urmila is right, keep the doll,” said her mom who had walked in and overheard the conversation. “It’s yours now Khushi, a new year gift!”
“Thank you so much, Auntyji,” Khushi hugged the doll and added thoughtfully, “May I make a painting for that wall? I’m good at painting!”
“What a coincidence,” said Urmila’s mother. “I was planning to buy something to hang there, the wall looks so bare. Khushi, thanks in advance, you saved me a shopping trip! Let’s have an ice-cream to celebrate.”
They walked away happily.
(Savitri Narayanan is a retired educationist at present in Bangaluru. A mother and grandmother, loves readig, writing and
travelling.)
