A Balloon Seller ♥

He was cleaning the tables and enjoying teasing the co-workers with a bright smile on his face that I was able to see from the other side of the road, yesterday.

It was one of the early days of December when I went to the ice-cream parlor along a friend and my younger brother. My friend and I ordered espresso coffee whereas my brother went inside the parlor to take a blueberry flavored ice cream. My friend and I were discussing something on a table that was placed outside the parlor before the footpath along some other tables. Waiter brought our coffee cups and we started sipping them along the discussion. Suddenly, a boy aged no more than 12 started begging us to buy a balloon or two from him, as we were not interested in taking any sort of thing we actually didn't bring his presence into notice, meanwhile my brother also joined us licking the spoon of the ice cream and sat next to me watching the cars moving by. One of the waiters came and dressed down that balloon kid yelling some abusive words. This gathered our attention and we asked the waiter not to do this at least let him go by his own, he stopped snubbing and went to take orders from the customers, we also started sipping our coffee again, but my brother asked me that the same kid is weeping bitterly sitting on the footpath. I went to that kid and asked him not cry like this while offering him my cup of coffee, he refused and then I asked my brother to offer him the same ice cream he bought. He accepted it with a smile and thanked us. A little conversation started between us that went like this,

 I: What's your name?
He: Shamroz.
I: What's your age and where do you live?
He: 12 years. Around Tahir Villa roundabout.
I: Why do you sell these balloons? How many siblings do you have and what about your parents?
He: My father is in Punjab from about three years, my mother does the same job on the next spot at Waterpump roundabout, I am the eldest son followed by two brothers and a sister. I've to sell this from dusk to dawn because there's no other source of income than me and my mom.
I: What if you don't sell much of the balloons a day and not earn money as you want?
He: Nothing much, we just skip a day meal and tough it's in our daily routine by now.
I: Why don't you opt something different, as you wander on the roads with the heavy traffic passing by, which is not safe?
He: What else can I do?
I: Do you study somewhere?
He: No, but I always wanted to.
I: Why that waiter was dressing you down?
He: I don't know they always do this with me and another friend of mine, once you leave they will again start doing the same.
I: Oh! I'll ask them not to snub or yell over Shamroz again.
He (started smiling): Well you got really nice hair.
I: Hahahahah! Thanks a lot, yours too BTW. Do you know which place is this? Do you know how to spell it (pointing to the billboard).
He: No.
I: Say it with me. It's Ice Treat.
He: Iess-Treeet.
I (laughing): No, Ice Treat.
He: Ice Treat.
I: Here you go (handed over him some money and moved by).

I asked the cashier about Shamroz after looking him cleaning the tables, yesterday. He told me that on the request of that waiter (pointing to one) we hired him on a pay of 300/per week cleaning tables from 1700 hrs-2200 hrs. I thanked that waiter, the cashier pointed over. Yes! He was the one who used to snub Shamroz. He asked me that he listened our whole conversation that day and then requested the manager to hire the little kid.

Contradicting to the fact of child labor, as it is the dark truth of our society by now and we all accepted it to some extent because there is no other way out. I don't want to leave a biased impression on any of my reader, but if that kid is having no other option than selling those balloons from day to night on the roads with risk of his life and no surety of getting a fixed amount of money at the end of the day that table cleaning job is far better? I don't know the feeling I got, but it was something huge. 

Symbol of Modesty.

After doing something good for someone, it is very rare that you acknowledge its benefits in your life; at least until I noticed, since a similar thing was experienced by me. Once I asked a friend to do something that showed its importance after months and we were shocked to gain such an experience. Maybe it would not leave any impact on someone, but it was a lifetime thing for us.Illustrating the incident as per her words:

  

Due to the lack of time, the college van did not pass my area on the route to school as we were taking midterm exams and my van driver wanted to pick the evening shift right in an hour. Anyway for my convenience he arranged another van for me that would drop me at my doorstep, but since my friends traveled in the other van I refused to go in that van and opted to be dropped at a place that is about 10-15 minutes away from my house. Today was the last exam and as usual my van driver left me at the particular spot.

There is a Government Boys’ School on my way home from there. Unlike other days, today there was a crowd of school boys along the way and on roadsides. Among the crowd there were some rogue, vicious boys on their bikes’ leaving no chance to stare, hoot or pass any possible comment over any girl passing by. I paused for seconds and overlooked the situation and started reciting Naad-e-Ali. My speed of walking decreased to this level that an aunt with her daughter aged between 15-16 wearing a not-so-good dress overcame me and moved forward, when they passed from the same place the boys started hooting, whistling and laughing over that girl.

I stopped for a minute and thought about whether to pass from the place; during this passage of time I gained some courage and confidence, made myself believe that I am covered with my Hijab and they would do nothing to me with the recitation of Naad-e-Ali. I started walking, passing by the same place; I was able to see the dirt in those boys’ eyes, but suddenly they stopped laughing, hooting or whistling and the traffic on the road increased which muffled the noise of even their usual gossip. When the traffic abated I was walking with such speed that before I realized I had overcome that aunt and her daughter. And suddenly I felt a twitch in my cheeks just when my lips curled up into a smile and was more shocked when I did listen to the aunt’s discussion behind me.

She: How many times have I told you to at least cover yourself while moving on roads or streets.
Daughter: But Mom, these types of boys are everywhere.
She: But they only make fun of those who allow them to do so, did not you see? They did nothing when that girl passed by.

I had no words to describe what veneration means to any girl and what I gained in those moments is just indescribable. Thanks to Allah and my Hijab (my symbol of modesty) that saved me in public.

                              

Existence is futile.

It is the most random post I am writing till date. I wonder what people actually would think about me after this that what type of person I am who do such stuff in an examination hall, sometimes, ah! "Sometimes" just to defend me. It was my Physics paper today, when I completed my paper (the most I knew I wrote) I just sat back on my chair and started staring at the green board on the wall that I never saw this feelingly before and saw something written there and in a glimpse of an eye I was somewhere on this planet, where? I don't know, maybe I do, I was at a seashore, Yes! It was a seashore when a wave touched my feet, but I didn't feel it, I gazed at the sea it was quiet, but flowing. I touched the water and tried to apprehend it, but my competency of tactile dumped me and my cerebral vision coerced me to think about my life, which is alike a sea, a flowing one in which many of the incidents happened that changed me from the day first to what I am now, many people has come and gone, some taught definite lessons and some negative that abrogated my existence, top it off my father who left too early in the midst of this journey, but actually left lessons behind and I actually attained many things which I didn't learn during his presence. Many fellows and friends came, spent memorable time, promised being together always, but left for different reasons. Habits changed from teasing to reading and writing that worked advantageous for me, started writing this blog even wrote a story on my own. Involved myself in social work and spent many hours of my life with deprived people trying to know them and the difference between us. Volunteered number of social activities, debated on platforms, but mostly in the daily routine. Made friends, fought with them, afflicted them, hurt them and at times battered my identity. With age, mentality, vision and level of maturity developed, childhood changed to younger-hood, incorporation of things changed and theory of view widened, but at the end of the day what I got? Experiences? I am here just to gain experiences? I yet not get a single reason of my existence. Get to know people, their problems and achievements, their faults and flaws, their good and great, their calm nature and aggression, but why? Suddenly, the bell rang and I came back to the normal mode of non worrying situation of the examination hall, I looked at each student who were still busy writing and filling their sheets in the last minutes, unknowingly gaining another experience for their lives and unaware of a person who is thinking over their and his own life. I spent 17 years of my life on this planet and didn't get a clue of my existence? Is this possible? I don't know, it's happening already with me or anyone, and I feel maybe because I think over it. Eventually, in a glance that thing came again in my view on board and I passed a smile, handed over my paper to the external and left the class with another experience. It was 02 January "2012".