A Helping Hand Can Bring Many
Short Story by Shivangi Soumya
Introduction to the Author:
“Simple Girl with Big Dreams”, is what Shivangi Saumya Suhani says about herself in brief. Being a student of physics, she is a poetess, writer, storyteller and a speaker too. She likes to spend her free time alone in nature with soulful music and obviously good books. To her “everywhere is magic cause everywhere is the existence of God”.
I was on the way to my tuition it was pretty late because of the haltingly rain and of course my friend Priya who have the habit to make me late everywhere we have to go together.
On the way, there were two-three stranger and a biscuit seller with his handcart which was overloaded with biscuits of bakery coming from opposite direction than that of me.
I was constantly observing that biscuits seller coming from the opposite direction, he was very old, feeble but strong due to his labour, but for an instant I thought how after being so old he still works for his family, that gave me inspiration. Though his veins were quite protuberant, but he was old, weak and feeble and that overloaded handcart made me feel that he could not sustain it more, although I was praying it shouldn’t happen, he shouldn’t lose his balance, as he is a real fighter.
As I was few metres away from him, he could not tolerate more handling it and his handcart fell onto its front side and all of his biscuits on above of his handcart fell down and the old man himself too.
Those three boys started seeing him but didn’t come up with a helping hand.
But, me and my friend, inspite of discussing if we should stop or not. We took brakes of our cycle at the same moment and had a glance at each other with the same thought. Seeing this one of the boys ran to the old man and within 2-3 seconds the other two too.
Though, we didn’t need to help that old man but I learn something instead and that brought a smile on my, my friend and that old man’s face.
“Sometimes a helping hand doesn’t only help others but bring many, it is other thing that it may be of shame”. ☺
What Will People SAY?
Her phone was vibrating, I said, “it’s a call, i think”. But she didn’t respond. Her phone vibrated the second time, she had an expression of fear.
We were in market then, of our so-called small town with small common typical traditional cheap thinking.
“its a call Amaya, pick it up, it may be urgent”.
“What will people say”, she said with a feeling like she would commit any crime by picking it up.
“If I pick up the call people may think I am talking to a boy. So, it’s not good to pick up call in public.”
The moment I heard this, my face was full of anger, and she had obviously observed that. Cause I only think about what is wrong or right! Not, “What will people say?”
Well, she was the type of girl who would firstly not take phone with her, cause for her, it’s a Bad Manner. Secondly, if she took it with her she wouldn’t take it out.
This time her phone vibrated for the third time, and my anger have reached third time of initial.
But she, the so-called Bharat Mata didn’t pick it up.
“At least just see who is calling”.
She checked her phone inside her bag without taking it out.
“its an unknown number Shivangi”
“It may be Urgent Amaya, why don’t you understand”
“Okay, I will call back, when I will reach back home” she said with the feeling of being perplexingly confused between call and the thinking of “What Will People Say”.
When we reached at my place she called on that number twice, but there was no response.
“It may be like a wrong number, let us forget it, I shouldn’t have called on it” she said
“Okay, Bharat mata ji ” I said to her, with my hands folded in the position of namaste at my head.
Then her phone again vibrated, it was the same number. She picked up the call, it was from her sister’s school and was urgent. Her sister had got faint in the school and was now admitted in the hospital because of some health issues that I don’t know much about. The school administration was continuously trying to call at her home, but there was no response, at her father it was busy and at her which was silent. I was worried about her sister but one part of me, still wanted to shout at her loudly, now think na “What Will People Say”!
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Amaya, a girl of power, having a brain that could make anyone feel same, humorous to that extent, that anyone would like to be with her, she was the friend of anyone, and anyone would become her. She had all that perfectness that any girl would want, beautiful like hell, that anyone would forget the whole world just staring at her, fashion sense like a diva. But everything in the world has a little imperfect side, even the moon has marks, so was she.
The only inadequacy she has, was, she would forget about you, when she is with others, that was the only inadequacy she had that would make you feel like your heart is mashed by a hard heated hammer. And the only thinking of her that I have a grudge for her is, before doing anything she would at least think twice, “What Will People Say”.
I had thought, that after that incident at least she wouldn’t think “What Will People Say” before doing anything, but the moon doesn’t become full in one day it takes 15 days.
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We were in 12th and everyone have decided their aim which they wanted to achieve in their life and finally, my struggle and search of my extra talent had met me. And now I knew that I wanted to be a writer, an author and a poet. She, Amaya, as well have got her aim, she knew she can be, she wanted to be, she deserved to be an Air Hostess, because she wanted to fly across the world and visit different places.
And one day before our class discussing our future life and plans, as we were best friends forever no secret no lies type, told each other that I will start writing my novel after the traumatic board exams, and she will apply for becoming an Air Hostess.
But destiny had different plans for us. And our life changed grandiloquently, we had a conflict after board exam and we were not in touch for 2-3 months.
After our results came, we finally talked after an interval of months. We both were frustrated with our bihar boards results.
Then, after a few weeks, she told me that she is taking admission in an Engineering College. I was fiercely shocked with these words of her.
“Why are you taking an admission in an Engineering College, when you wanted to be Air Hostess and fly across the world” I said with a complicated astonishing expression on my face.
Shivi, don’t you understand, “What Will People Say”.
“What” I said in a desperately surprised way.
“Am I a waitress? Am I a maid”, She said with a complex feeling. “And by the way my parents want me to be an Engineer” she said further.
“And what you want to do Amaya, your dream, your ambitious, your wishes, what about that, you will let it die like this. Why just because of, “What Will People Say”. Come on Amaya just grow up, don’t get influenced by other and opt up a carrier in which you can’t give your 100% and you want to spend your 4 years around book becoming a Google search engine for engineering just because your parents want and “What will people say”. You, you Amaya you are ruining your life yourself. “
And I was desperate with her words but tried to convince her even after knowing that she can’t be convinced ever.
And finally, she took admission in an Engineering College, just because” What Will People Say “. And I continued my writing.
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Amaya was a girl with intelligence and bravery both, she could have done anything she wanted, but not everything can be managed on the basis of intelligence and bravery, willingness does matter most. And the same thing happened with her, in the first semester, she passed but not with impressive marks and not because of her willingness but because of her hard work.
But things were getting bitter for her with every passing day.
In second semester, because of her low performance in latter exam, even after being the high scorer of high school, her confidence has broken up into pieces and so was her bravery and intelligence.
The lectures were going out of her mind, the more she tried to understand, the more complex, topics were getting for her, and more she started waking up at night and which lead her to nothing, but getting hospitalised.
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When I came to know about it, I went to see her I was frightened to imagine, in what condition I may found her, my imagination was showing me the worse part I could have never ever seen in even nightmares about her.
With slow feeble step, I entered in her room. She was sleeping on her bed like a baby weak and wimpy.
Seeing her on bed like that I was feeling worse for her, tears were rolling down my cheeks; my heart which was feeling hollow then I wanted to cry, cry hard that I could have. But my weeping eyes still wanted to say with broken words, now think na “What Will People Say”.
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