Courteousness

I still remember. It was early in the morning around 4:30 am while I finished my morning bath. I opened my hair. There was no time left to dry it up. I picked up my basket and walked out. I was mesmerized by the first sight of it although I see it every day. A huge tree stood right opposite my home. Many birds were singing their sweet tone happily flying around the Tree. It was partially dark. The air smelt so fresh. I walked through my lane, holding the basket that I had placed on my head in one hand and my saree in the other. I didn’t have enough to pay for a bull cart so I walked a few kilometres every day. It was cold. I wished I had carried my sweater. I had forgotten it just like any other day. I had to walk through a forest. Sometime later I reached the blue stream. It was a sign that I had completed half my journey. I sat by the stream to rest for some time. After a five-minute break, I trudged forward. I had no idea how far I’d walked because of the similar-looking trees on both my sides. Minutes later the fresh fragrance of rose overtook me. That’s how I knew that my journey had come to an end. I picked up all the flowers and dropped them into my basket. Once it was full, I walked back to the village market. I sat down and spread all the flowers on an old bed sheet that I usually carried. It was the festive season. The next day was Diwali so I sat back with hope. The sun began to rise. Gradually, customers started flushing into the market. My flowers were sold quicker than I imagined, except for a bunch of roses that lied on my right. Sometime later I noticed an auto entering the market with great difficulty. The road was not in a good condition back then. A young girl got out of the auto. She carried a fancy pink camera. She walked forward wandering around the market. She approached many stalls and clicked pictures. I’ve not clicked any pictures of mine, ever since I was in school. So, I sat there waiting for her to click a picture of mine.

After a while, a little six-year-old approached me. “Hey cutie, how can I help you?” I enquired. The little girl replied, “Auntie, tomorrow is mummy’s birthday. I want to buy some rose for her.” “Well, you’re lucky then. I have one last bunch on rose left.” I exclaimed. “yay! How much money should I give you?” she asked. “you’ll have to give me fifteen rupees.” I asserted. She sat down on a stone nearby, opened her little bag, and grabbed a handful of coins. She began counting them. Once she was done, she handed over all the coins she had. I offered her the last bunch of roses. As she was about to leave the photographer called out to the little one and asked her to pose for a photo. The young photographer had sat down to rest for a while. She leaned towards the stall next to mine and began taking a video of the flowers. I waved to the little girl as she turned to leave.

The little one had just walked a few steps before she tripped. She held a Stranger’s hand to save herself. In an instant, she began crying out loud. I walked up to her. “hey! Don’t worry, you’re alright. Stop crying.” I tried to console her. She pointed out her flowers. It lied on the ground. Someone had stepped over it. “It’s okay, you can buy another one.” I convinced her. “I don’t have money.” She spoke innocently. “Everyone is giving mummy a gift. My brother is giving a saree. My father is also giving mummy a gift. I also want to give you something. but I don’t have money. Mummy is a good girl. I want to give her a gift.” Cried the little one. I felt bad for the child. So, I walked up to a stall nearby, grabbed a bunch of roses, and handed over fifteen rupees. The florist called out to me, “a bunch of flowers costs twenty-five rupees!” I tried bargaining but, the florist was stubborn. So, I tossed a few more coins and offered the flower to the little girl. “I don’t have money!” she exclaimed. “Not a problem, here, you can have these flowers for yourself.” I offered. “Auntie, mummy told me not to take anything from strangers if they give it for free. I don’t want these flowers” she denied and continued crying. I was impulsive. I wanted to help. “hey, you know something, I sell two bunch of flowers for fifteen rupees. I was trying to cheat you.” I lied. “you tried to cheat! Mummy said cheating is a bad habit.” She exclaimed and snatched the bunch of roses from me. “YOU ARE A BAD GIRL.” She shouted out loud. Everyone in the market turned to look at me. Little kids started laughing at me. I was embarrassed but, a part of me was truly happy for the little girl. I walked back home.

A week passed by. Everything seemed to be going normal until one day. As I walked through my lane, people ran towards me and clicked selfies. I was bewildered. A young girl who realized that I wasn't comfortable showed me a video. It was a video taken by the young photographer in the market, right from the time the little girl tripped until I was embarrassed. I learned that that the video became viral and was gaining over a billion views and likes. I was overjoyed. I had become famous. People started donating and helping me with money and other essentials. 

A week later I bumped into the little one and her mother. The six-year-old turned away instantly after she noticed me. She pointed out to me and whispered “mummy she is a cheater, she tried to cheat me!” her mother turned towards me and frowned. I realized that she hadn’t yet watched the video. The mother and daughter stared at me as they walked away. I smiled and advanced forward.