Sanju could not contain his excitement. It was his birthday
today and he knew Vivek Uncle would surely give him a gift. That was always the
case for the past 8 years. With great fondness, he wiped clean the Harmonica
uncle had gifted him last birthday. He ran his small hands over the words
etched on the blue steel surface – ‘Wishing the best to my dear Sanju: Love
Vivek Uncle’. Playing the
Harmonica had always brought a smile on his mother’s face. Quickly he ran to
his mom and kissed her cheek.
As soon as she saw Sanju, she hugged her with her
dough-smudged hands and kissed him until his face was bright red. He whined
playfully and ran to the garden. Today was going to be a busy day and he
already had a list of things to do in his mind. Time passed, and he sat at the porch waiting.
Right when he was about to give up he heard the sound of a car turning in the
street. He jumped towards the gate and waited with bated breath for his
Birthday wish.
‘Happy Birthday Sanju’, uncle said, planting a kiss on his
forehead. ‘So don’t you want your Birthday Gift’, he asked? Sanju nodded
expectantly with a playful smile. The smile that reminded uncle about his son. With
a tear in his eye, uncle opened the back of his car and Lo! Sanju could not
believe it. Uncle had bought him a cycle, gleaming red and with a big ribbon and
a tag with the words, ‘Wishing the best to my dear Sanju: Love
Vivek Uncle’.
He called out to his mom to come see the cycle, who laughed
softly seeing her little one dancing around the cycle in excitement. ‘No more
walking to school for you’, Uncle had said. Sanju carefully removed the ribbon,
placed it on the porch and gave uncle a long hug. And even as his mother was
screaming at him to have breakfast and then leave, he sat on the cycle and
speeded off. At a distance, he could hear his mother call out to him – ‘Take
Care, Sanju’.
Neha woke up cursing herself for getting up late. She was new
in town and her mom had repeatedly asked her to go meet her uncle who stayed
there for the past 30 years and had established himself as one of the best
lawyers in town. She resented his questions and his opinions on things ranging
from the color of Neha’s hair to what she should eat to remain fit in order to
get a smart husband.
After much postponing, she realized she had better make a
visit before uncle stormed into her flat and created a scene. She decided she’d
be there in time for an early breakfast with her uncle so he would spare her
the ‘Importance of Getting Up Early’ speech. To her dismay, she woke up at
10:00. She made a quick call to uncle and told him how she could not get out of
the house early since her servant maid showed up after a week and so wanted to
get the house clean. She promised him she would meet him for dinner. After a
quick round of freshening up, she decided she would go buy something for uncle.
After all, Uncle would be pleased that she got him something from her first
salary. She decided to drive down so she could explore the town also a little
bit and get acquainted with the places.
After a few wrong turns and confusing directions from the local
people, Neha realized she was lost. She wanted to reach the bazaar and instead
wound up in the middle of a farm lined with mango trees on both sides of the
road. Of course, Google Maps didn’t work, thanks to the poor range in the area!
She was a little worried but the cool breeze and the shade encouraged her to
drive further down the road until she reached a small garage. Who better to
guide you than the local garage- walas!
Just as she got down to ask for directions, she saw a small
boy seated on a cycle, fidgeting with the handle. A gleaming red cycle. He
seemed lost in his own thought. ‘How much does a boy under 10 years of have to
worry about!!!’, she thought. Instantly, she felt the need to cheer him up a
little. She went up to him and asked his name. ‘Sanju’, he said shyly. Neha
found herself instantly attracted to his playful, yet reserved smile. She asked
him what he was doing there alone. He simply looked at her and pointed to an
old home on the other side of the road. ‘I want to watch a movie, but I don’t
have company’, he said dully. The building seemed old and rusty. Neha couldn’t
help feeling sorry for the boy. She thought for a while and said, ‘Ok, lets go!
But what time’s the show?’ The little boy’s face instantly shone and he was
excited. He held her hand and tugged her across the road saying – ‘Any minute
now’. Neha laughed at his enthusiasm.
As soon as she reached the building she noticed it was empty.
‘Who would come all the way here to watch a movie!!’ – she wondered. Just as
she thought that maybe the show was cancelled since there were no people, she
heard the music from the screen. ‘Ok!! So tickets first and hopefully an
icecream’ she said, winking at Sanju. He let out a cheerful laugh. They
couldn’t find the ticket vendor and Sanju was growing impatient waiting to get
a glimpse of the screen. After a full five minute hunt in the ground floor Neha
decided she would come pay during the interval or after the movie was over.
Afterall, what is the point in missing out the beginning!! She held Sanju’s
hand and went in.
From the first scene, Sanju was animatedly cheering, singing
the songs, and even saying most of the dialogues. Neha could not get enough of
his smile. She sat there, with no interest in the movie but all the while
admiring this little boy. She felt an instant connection to him. Something like
a special bond that demanded her to care for the little boy. And lost in her
thoughts, she fell asleep.
A couple of minutes later, she woke up startled. For a
minute, she didn’t know where she was or how much time had elapsed. And then
things became clear. She looked up and saw the screen blank. Maybe the movie
got over and she hadn’t even realized. Then she looked to her side. Where was
Sanju? He did not wake her up and was not even in his seat. Did he just leave
her and go? Did he wander off somewhere else? Neha felt responsible for the
boy. She sprang for the seat and searched for Sanju in the entire building
calling out his name but he was nowhere to be found.
She rushed out of the building, crossed the road and went to
the garage. An old man in his fifties was lying on a makeshift cot taking a
nap. She nudged him slowly and asked if he saw a small boy coming out of the
theatre. The man looked at her, puzzled. ‘A red cycle’ she said. A gleaming red
cycle. That’s when it struck the man. He looked at her and gave a subtle smile.
A smile that failed to cover the tears forming in his eyes. Neha sensed
something was not right. She asked him what was wrong and what she heard seemed
impossible.
Sanju had driven to the garage in his cycle on his birthday.
He wanted to show baba what uncle had given him. As soon as Baba saw the cycle
he was very happy. He wished him a very happy birthday and asked him what he
wanted as a gift. Sanju pointed to the theatre. Please Baba. You promised me I
could see a movie today. Smiling Baba nodded his head and went inside the
garage to make sure everything was locked before he left with his son. And
that’s when it happened. It was a white car and the driver, a college boy
perhaps, was driving to face to impress his girlfriend. What he hadn’t noticed
was a small boy crossing the road to watch a movie on his theatre. It all
happened too fast. After that, all Baba could remember was tiny Sanju in his
arms soaked in blood. It was eight years and yet the memories seemed so fresh.
Neha listened to all this with shock. She couldn’t believe
the man was telling her and yet, looking at him she realized no one could lie
about their son. She softly asked him if she could see a picture of his son.
‘Oh I have an entire album that I keep flipping over and over!’, he said with
tears rolling in his eyes. Neha reluctantly opened the cover with trembling
hands half expecting to see a face she was not familiar with. Yet, he was
there. Sanju and his playful smile. The smile that drew her to him. And she
couldn’t bear to be there anymore. She contemplated asking Baba if she could
have one of his photos for herself. She didn’t need one though, since he was
already etched in her memories. She didn’t know what to say. All she could do
was tap his shoulder and drive away looking for the bazaar.
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