It has been a very tiring day. I sit on my recliner and in a jiffy I lose control of my eyelids. "You deserve a nap once in a while Mr.Successful",I murmur to myself while I rest my back and fall asleep.
I hear a faint noise, sounds like a shrill cry. For a light sleeper,thats all it takes to get whacked out of the dream world. I open my eyes in haste and see my son,still in his school uniform, sitting on the sofa next to me,teary eyed.
Without a second thought, I quickly lift him up and take him on my lap."what is the matter champ..?",I say,in a tone desperate to stop his tears." I lost the pencil mumma gave me yesterday" he says.I cannot help the smile that appears on my face instantly. And I get lost in thoughts.Memories of my childhood. I still remember every second of that incident.
I was about 3 and it was my first day in kindergarten. I was a playful kid. Yes,careless went hand in hand with playful. My mom had given me a pencil,ofcourse attached with a warning."You lose this pencil,and I am never buying you another one again". I remember leaving the pencil on the desk and leaving the class during recess,only to find it missing when I got back. I was on panic mode immediately. Despite searching everywhere, I could not find it. The only thing that ran in my head then were my mother's words. And that made things worse. The bell rang and school was over for the day. That meant i had to go home and face mom. I walked out of the school gate, her words.still ringing in my ears. Instantly the idea of getting a new pencil exactly like the one i lost filled up my mind. I ran to the pickup rickshaw ,threw my bag inside and ran back to a shop to get the pencil. I was too naive to get the idea of "money" into my head then.i went inside the shop and looked around for a pencil that looked exactly similar. Ifound one and in a second, I had a big grin on my face. But it didnt last long. The shopkeeper came up to me and said "5rs beta",and it hit me. I did not have any money.Getting back to my sad world, I began walking back to the rickshaw. I lifted my head while walking and saw a very old woman stuggling to cross the road. Though there were not many vehicles moving in the lane,she was too scared to cross it. I quickly forgot about the pencil and ran upto her. I held her hand and said "I will help you aunty,dont bescared". Step after step I walked with her and when we crossed the lane,the lady smiled and pulled my cheek and gave me a coin. A five rupee coin. But the pencil had skipped my mind then. The reward i got lifted me to cloud 9 and I ran back to the rickshaw and went home.
"Homework time", mom said. With a smile still plastered on my face, I began to dig my bag for the homework book. And the pencil came back to my mind. Nervousness struck,but i had to tell mom. There was no other option. I walked to mom and put my head down and in tears, I told her about the pencil. I pulled the coin out of my pocket and said "I will get another pencil tomorrow mumma and I will never lose it"."Where did you get that coin",she asked me. I told her about the old lady. As soon as she was done hearing, she lifted me up and kissed all over my face. I was surprised, naturally."You are not angry mumma?" i asked. "No baby,I am proud",she said and made me clutch the coin. "Dont ever lose this coin",she said and gave me another new pencil. And that was one of the most memorable days of my life.
Yes,i still have that coin with me. I pull out my wallet and give the coin to my little one and make him clutch it just the way my mother did. "This is for you. Go get yourself a new pencil before mom gets to know", I say and kiss his cheek.His face lit up,just the way mine did.!
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