A good deed..

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I live in an apartment and like every apartment these days, mine has a watchman. Not a proper security guard but a fit young man who doubles up as a helper during the day and runs errands for most of us. His wife and kid [lets call her Ammu] at times give him company during the job time. Ammu is a 4/5 year old girl kid and is pretty cute. The kid lover that I am, every time I spot her try to talk to her, generally make silly small talk and try to be friends with her. But she would almost always run as far away possible and hide. No no, I ain’t that scary. Just that she’s shy ok?? In case she’s in a foul mood she’d just stare at me and gimme a look that if given by anyone else I’d beat them to pulp. And since she is this oh-so-adorable-kid otherwise, I leave her alone. 9 out of 10 times the foul mood is because her father is getting her ready for school and she doesn’t want to go. Like any other kid of her age, she hates going to school and makes a fuss to get ready every morning. When the school closed for summer holidays, she was the happiest. She would smile broadly and if I asked her “School Pogaliya??” [Didn't you go to school] she would loudly and proudly say “School Illa” [No School ] and run off to play.. And thanks to the two months of school holidays, she eased up a bit and slowly started being friends with me.

When it was about time for schools to reopen, I asked her father when her school was reopening. He told me, the school would open in a couple of days but since he didn’t have two grand to pay the fees, she wouldn’t go to school in June. He also added that when he gets the salary for the month, he’d pay the fees and she’d start going to school from July. She was only too happy about it. I felt a bit sad. I’ve always taken the “Literacy Mission” ads very seriously and am very fond of playing teacher. I always wanted to help our maid/watchman’s son/daughter. But sadly, until now, the maids/watchmen we had never had children in the going-to-school age group.
I even thought of offering to pay the two grand for her fees, but mom wasn’t quite convinced I should do it. Well, she did give me plenty of reasons as to why I should not do it and some of it actually made sense. So I dropped that idea.

Almost a week later, one day when I was returning from work, Ammu was standing with her father near the gates. When I asked her what she’d been doing all day she happily told me she how she’d been playing all day. Then she mumbled something somewhat abashedly. When asked, her dad explained that all day she’d been nagging about going to school and asked whoever would listen to her to pay for her fees. I was shocked. For someone who hated to go to school, this was a totally unexpected behavior. My heart went out to her. I almost told her I’d pay her fees, but the cynic in me intervened. How could such a small girl ask people to pay her fees without being instigated to do so. But the child lover in me brushed aside such rude thoughts and continued to talk to her.
“What else do you want other than fees??”
“Baagu.. Notebooku… “
Uniform Irukka?? [Do you have uniform?? ]
Her Dad: Aan… Adhellam irukku.. Bag dhaan vanganum nu ore adam pidikkudhu. Adhukku vera kasu venum. [Yeah, thats there. She's been pestering for a bag. Need to spare money for that as well]
She: Approm balbam.. [Then balbam - a variant of the chalk piece used to write on slate]
Me: Evvalo balbam venum .. [How many do you want?]
She:Moonu [Three] [Showing 5 fingers.. ]
Me: Seri, naan unakku bag, balbam lam vangi tharen.. ana nee samatha school poviya?? [Ok, If I get you the bag and chalk will you be a good girl and go to school??]
She vigourously nodded her head in response.
Me: School pogamaten nu adam panna mattiye? [You wouldn't make a fuss to go to school?? ]
She vigourously shook her head in denial this time.
Me: Azhamattiye?? [You won't cry??]
Again the denial.
Me: Seri nan nalaikki office lerndhu varum bodhu unakku bag vangittu varen. Seriya?? [Alright, when I come from office tomorrow I'll get you the bag]

She was so overcome with joy that she nodded and gave me a wide grin showing all her teeth and waved happily to me. I decided I was going to get the bag for her. I told about it to mom and this time she didn’t object.

A couple of days later, while I was returning home from work, I got a small backpack, a couple of pencils, an eraser, a sharpener, a ruler and a box of balbams.Unfortunately she’d slept off by the time I reached home. So I told her dad that I’d gotten the bag for her and that I’d give it to her the next day. The next day when I came home, she gave a sheepish grin and asked me where was her bag. Kids!! I tell you. I took her home and gave her the bag and all the stationary. She gave me the all important “Million Dollar Smile”. She immediately packed all the stationery inside the bag and wore the bag on her shoulders. She just couldn’t stop grinning. She then left with her dad who couldn’t stop grinning either. The next day happened to be a Sunday. I’d gone out with mom for shopping. When we came back, she spotted me and came running to me screaming. I tossed her in air and she giggled and giggled. Without me asking she told me what she’d done all day, how she’d packed her bag, now ready to be taken to school, how she was going to flaunt her new bag to her classmates the next day and so on until she ran out of breath. I was happy or what?? I almost choked.

The next day morning, she was smiling when she got ready for school and waved Good Bye to me saying she’d be a nice kid at school. And that evening when I returned from work, she repeated her act of the previous day.. Ran to me screaming her lungs out, narrated to me the events at school, told me her teacher had given her some homework and she’d promptly finished that as well and so on. I was really moved.

When I went home upstairs, I almost cried. I’d just gotten her an ordinary backpack but seems like it means a world to her. I have never experienced such a feeling. I’ve got gifts for my family, friends and each time they appreciate it, its special to me. But such things last for a while and fadeout. But everyday when she runs to me there’s a kind of a glow in my heart. I beam with joy and satisfaction of having made a difference to someone who really needed it And even if it fades out after a while, I’m glad about it.

I remembered what I studied in Class I

“Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
Make our Earth an Eden like the heaven above.”

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Filed under Musings, Pour outs

Tags: children, kids, literacy, school blues