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.