S6: "SAS stories"

#1

Aug 8^th 2015 3:25 am:

‘Is it 5’, I suddenly woke up from sleep and check my phone. I was desperately waiting for my friends Sriya and Arjun who are coming after 6 months. They are more like a family and a part of my soul.

I got sleep deprived. I went to the kitchen, made some coffee and kept walking to and fro in front of the clock for some time, playing candy crush for some time and rolling on the floor for some time.

The phone in my hand got vibrated. I jumped up and said ‘hello hello’.

‘Hello sitara, we are about to reach there in 15min’, said sriya.

I took my bike and went to the bus stand to pick them up.

As I reached, they were waiting for me. I ran to them shouting, I didn’t care who were there around me. I hugged them so tight. I was crazily euphoric.

Arjun went to his house which is also in Tirupati. I took sriya with me to my home. I had so many things to say but the atmosphere was filled with comforting silence.

9:00 am:

We got ready and we went to bus stand to go to Tirumala.

This is my 1^st ever attempt to go to Tirumala by bus. The winding road, the scary speed of the drivers as if they were on a racetrack and the meandering curves altogether knocks my stomach door and say, ‘Time to puke’.

Arjun knowing that we both will get sick of journeys started talking things completely irrelevant to change our mood.

We reached there in 30 minutes, hopefully without any dizzy wizzy’s.

We directly went to darshanam and it took 1hr 30min for us which was pretty quick. The God was glowing magnificently in the dark room. We took laddus and we started our way back home.

As we reached the bus stand, me and sriya sat there waiting, as arjun went to bring his car.

As we were sitting in the bus stop, my eyes fell on the words “tiny tots” which is written on the back of a t-shirt of a kid who is selling flowers at the entrance. He was around 6-7 yrs. He looked so energetic.

Arjun came and he dropped us to our home.

The next morning I woke up pretty early as sriya was leaving to Bangalore.

She left and I was in my car parking, watching the rising sun and stretching my hands a bit. Suddenly a newspaper came with a bolt speed and hit my face.

‘What the hell’, I yelled.

‘Sorry Sorry’, the paper boy came towards me.

‘Can’t you see’, I raised my eyes to see that paper boy.

The same tiny tots t-shirt. ‘U flower boy? Bus stand?’, I exclaimed.

‘Yes, I sell flowers in the bus stand, I am so sorry, I didn’t see u’, he started apologizing.

‘It’s ok. U can go’, I said.

In the afternoon, I went to buy some groceries in the supermarket and to my astonishment, I saw that tiny tots boy again carrying the tea for someone.

‘Hey hey’, I stopped him. ‘Paper boy!’.

‘Tea boy’, he said raising the tea glasses upwards. He smiled and walked from there before I could say anything.

I was curious to know more about him. In the evening I went to the bus stand for him. He was there selling the flowers.

‘How many days will u wear the same shirt flowerboy?’, I smiled and asked.

‘Hehe, I washed it yesterday’, he said looking down at his t-shirt.

‘U washed? Ur m..mom ?, I asked him.

‘I have no one, I work here and there. I earn and go to school’, he said with a token of pride on his face and no sadness at all.

‘Where do u live?’, I asked so worriedly.

‘On that bench’, he said showing the bench on the bus stand where we sat while waiting for Arjun.

‘U sleep on that bench’, I stood aghast.

‘Yes. That uncle guides me and helps me for everything ’,pointing towards the man in the shop opposite to him.

I had no idea what to say. I totally lost my speech. After a minute I said,’ Come with me. I will join you in some orphanage and they will take care of u. There is no need to sleep on a bench and to work in this age. When the right age comes, then u should work, not now.

‘No, I am eating good food and studying now, I am happy. What if it won’t be like this?’, he said.

‘I assure u, I will take care of everything Trust me. Be ready tomorrow, I will come and pick u up at 10’, I said and left.

That night I spoke to Arjun and Sriya. They felt good and proud about my decision.

The next morning, I went to pick him up. He was there all ready to leave. I took him to the orphanage and joined him. I gave him new clothes, books and hugged him.

‘Here are the books and here is my number, if u need anything anytime, u can call me’.

‘Thank you for everything’, his eyes filled with happy tears.

‘Use your time wisely and study well’.

‘Bye bye lucky’, I said and left.

From then, we three pay frequent visits to the orphanage and give him new clothes, books and look after him.