White saw Little One at the children's home today. White returned home, feeling troubled. Tried taking a nap and White couldn't. In some ways, White reprimmanded herself for neglecting them. She should have seen it coming when the Big One asked her for money the last time.
Little one was glad to see White. The smile on his face was priceless.
"So how are you?"
"I'm okay."
"Heard from Rati that you cried the first night. Have you adapted well?"
"Yes. The kids and I talk every night before we sleep. It's only the breakfast that I am not used to. They serve oats and we have to wake up at 5 am every morning."
"So you should have plenty of friends here?"
"Nopes. They are not my good friends."
"But don't create trouble. Are you hungry? I brought you some biscuits and sweets."
"You better not let all the other kids see this. They will want a piece of it."
"You can share with them."
"No. One of them keeps asking me for money. Luckily, I kept my money in the locked drawers."
"You have enough money with you?"
"Two dollars. But they give me a dollar everyday."
White shoved ten dollars to Little One.
"Use it slowly. You never know when you need it."
Little One folded the note and kept it between his trousers and abdomen. He looked around, afraid that someone might steal it.
"Why didn't you call me? I kept calling your home for the past week."
"I didn't have your number with me. Can you write it behind this?"
Little One showed White a passpart size photo which he had taken recently.
"Don't I look good in there? See how my hair falls into place."
White scribbled her number.
"What happened to your mum?"
"She's in Woodbridge hospital because of depression. She'll be there for two months. She visited me the other day when I was in the hospital. She wrote a letter to get permission to see me."
"What happened to you?"
"It all started with a sore throat and I didn't want to see a doctor. Then it escalated and I became feverish. I couldn't withstand the pain and I called one of the church members to bring me to the hospital."
"Hold on a second. I wanna keep the biscuits somewhere safe."
When Little One left, White felt ashamed of herself. It was apparent that White's problems were minute. They seemed insignificant. There White was, preoccupied with work and fumed about the inadequateness and monotony of corporate life. There stood a young boy stripped away from life's basic building block: FREEDOM. No control over his direction, no resources to achieve his dream, and an ailing body.
"What happened to your mum?"
"She's in Woodbridge hospital because of depression. She'll be there for two months. She visited me the other day when I was in the hospital. She wrote a letter to get permission to see me."
"What happened to you?"
"It all started with a sore throat and I didn't want to see a doctor. Then it escalated and I became feverish. I couldn't withstand the pain and I called one of the church members to bring me to the hospital."
"Hold on a second. I wanna keep the biscuits somewhere safe."
When Little One left, White felt ashamed of herself. It was apparent that White's problems were minute. They seemed insignificant. There White was, preoccupied with work and fumed about the inadequateness and monotony of corporate life. There stood a young boy stripped away from life's basic building block: FREEDOM. No control over his direction, no resources to achieve his dream, and an ailing body.
If only there was a hole for White to bury in ignominy.....
Picture from adamsillustration.
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