Sweet sixteen! Not fair or beautiful, but a charming slender figure. Her T-shirt showed a young man standing upside down. Across was printed “NORMAL IS BORING.” Her neatly groomed pony tail swayed to the swaying of the train. Her eyes moved across the novel in her hand as swiftly as the wheels beneath us. She was obviously lost in the world of fiction which lay between the pages of her book. I was quietly observing her looking for an opportunity to open a conversation, which did not present itself till four in the evening.
“Daddy, please give me the water bottle.”
The respectable looking gentleman who was in deep conversation with a copassenger dug out the bottle from his bag and shook it disappointedly.
“Sorry Mala, I should have filled it up. Wait. We’ll have soft drinks at the next station.”
Mala’s eyes floated across the compartment before returning to the book. I caught her eyes and stretched out my water bottle with a smile. She thanked me profusely for the unexpected gesture.
“What’s that you are reading, Mala? It seems to be very interesting!”
“Mills ’n Boon.”
“I have read some of them.”
“How do you like them?”
“I am sorry Mala, I have really forgotten. It was a long long time ago. Now I have no time for such books.”
“Are you working?”
“Yah. I am a doctor. And what are you doing?”
“Plus two.”
There seemed to be some respect in her eyes for me now. May be it was my enthusiastic imagination.
“Where?”
“St. Mary’s.”
Her well-manicured fingers played with the pendant of her chain. She closed the novel with a finger in between and showed interest in the conversation. She rattled about nail polish and jeans and Michael Jackson. Oh, she was obviously waiting for a friend. I didn’t expose my confusion about the world I didn’t know. I tried to keep up to her pace but my poor knowledge about these things let me down badly.
“Oh, you don’t go to movies? That’s very bad. But you couldn’t have missed it in TV last Sunday.”
On and on she went and bravo, I managed, though her teenage terminology baffled me at times.
“Your T-shirt is terrific. You may be interested in this booklet.”
I pulled out a red booklet from my purse titled Normal is Boring with the same picture.
“You don’t want to be like everybody. This book tells you how you can be a different person.”
She literally snatched the booklet from my hand with a giggle.
She flipped the pages quickly and looked up.
“Can I keep it?”
“Of course. It’s yours for the asking.”
She unzipped her bag and squeezed it in. It pained me to see the booklet twist as it went in. But I zipped up my mouth hoping it would untwist a person.
She shared her evening pakodas with me and didn’t forget to take down my address. Time just flew by.
“You are very interesting Mala. Your place is not too far from mine. You must visit me sometime.”
“Sure. I’ll try. Why don’t you plan to come too?”
“Shall we turn off the light?”
It was Mala’s father with a smile. Everyone in the compartment started to stretch themselves on their berths. Mala spread her dainty Bombay Dyeing bedsheet and lay down. It filled me with a complex for my worn-out checked bedsheet. I pushed it under my head for a pillow, laid myself down and muttered a prayer, “Lord, please save Mala. Please let us meet again.” I looked at her. In the dim blue light her face looked strangely innocent. Her eyes were still open. What was she thinking? Would she care to read the booklet?
I felt a sudden surge of affection for this sweet girl at the threshhold of life....Mala....Mala....The wheels were humming a lullaby.
‘chuk....chuk....chuk....chuk............
Morning six, I could feel the wheels slowing down. I got up quickly and started to pack my paraphernalia. Mala was peacefully at sleep and rolled around lazily as the sun’s rays warmed her face.
The train screeched to a stand still and I ran to catch the bus.
“Aunty.”
I turned around.
“We’ll drop you.”
The cream Ambassador sailed smoothly.
“Thank you. Car for a cup of water!” We all laughed merrily. She looked like a morning lotus with that big grin on her face. She went away promising to visit me. Would she?
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
Sweet sixteen! Not fair or beautiful, but a charming slender figure. Her T-shirt showed a young man standing upside down. Across was printed “NORMAL IS BORING.” Her neatly groomed pony tail swayed to the swaying of the train. Her eyes moved across the novel in her hand as swiftly as the wheels beneath us. She was obviously lost in the world of fiction which lay between the pages of her book. I was quietly observing her looking for an opportunity to open a conversation, which did not present itself till four in the evening.
“Daddy, please give me the water bottle.”
The respectable looking gentleman who was in deep conversation with a copassenger dug out the bottle from his bag and shook it disappointedly.
“Sorry Mala, I should have filled it up. Wait. We’ll have soft drinks at the next station.”
Mala’s eyes floated across the compartment before returning to the book. I caught her eyes and stretched out my water bottle with a smile. She thanked me profusely for the unexpected gesture.
“What’s that you are reading, Mala? It seems to be very interesting!”
“Mills ’n Boon.”
“I have read some of them.”
“How do you like them?”
“I am sorry Mala, I have really forgotten. It was a long long time ago. Now I have no time for such books.”
“Are you working?”
“Yah. I am a doctor. And what are you doing?”
“Plus two.”
There seemed to be some respect in her eyes for me now. May be it was my enthusiastic imagination.
“Where?”
“St. Mary’s.”
Her well-manicured fingers played with the pendant of her chain. She closed the novel with a finger in between and showed interest in the conversation. She rattled about nail polish and jeans and Michael Jackson. Oh, she was obviously waiting for a friend. I didn’t expose my confusion about the world I didn’t know. I tried to keep up to her pace but my poor knowledge about these things let me down badly.
“Oh, you don’t go to movies? That’s very bad. But you couldn’t have missed it in TV last Sunday.”
On and on she went and bravo, I managed, though her teenage terminology baffled me at times.
“Your T-shirt is terrific. You may be interested in this booklet.”
I pulled out a red booklet from my purse titled Normal is Boring with the same picture.
“You don’t want to be like everybody. This book tells you how you can be a different person.”
She literally snatched the booklet from my hand with a giggle.
She flipped the pages quickly and looked up.
“Can I keep it?”
“Of course. It’s yours for the asking.”
She unzipped her bag and squeezed it in. It pained me to see the booklet twist as it went in. But I zipped up my mouth hoping it would untwist a person.
She shared her evening pakodas with me and didn’t forget to take down my address. Time just flew by.
“You are very interesting Mala. Your place is not too far from mine. You must visit me sometime.”
“Sure. I’ll try. Why don’t you plan to come too?”
“Shall we turn off the light?”
It was Mala’s father with a smile. Everyone in the compartment started to stretch themselves on their berths. Mala spread her dainty Bombay Dyeing bedsheet and lay down. It filled me with a complex for my worn-out checked bedsheet. I pushed it under my head for a pillow, laid myself down and muttered a prayer, “Lord, please save Mala. Please let us meet again.” I looked at her. In the dim blue light her face looked strangely innocent. Her eyes were still open. What was she thinking? Would she care to read the booklet?
I felt a sudden surge of affection for this sweet girl at the threshhold of life....Mala....Mala....The wheels were humming a lullaby.
‘chuk....chuk....chuk....chuk............
Morning six, I could feel the wheels slowing down. I got up quickly and started to pack my paraphernalia. Mala was peacefully at sleep and rolled around lazily as the sun’s rays warmed her face.
The train screeched to a stand still and I ran to catch the bus.
“Aunty.”
I turned around.
“We’ll drop you.”
The cream Ambassador sailed smoothly.
“Thank you. Car for a cup of water!” We all laughed merrily. She looked like a morning lotus with that big grin on her face. She went away promising to visit me. Would she?
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
