The Wonder Woman!
It was a scorching afternoon. The streets were busy and the people were anxiously roaming the streets as usual. I was on my way home after buying some groceries for lunch. I was excited to taste my mom’s special Fish curry. The very thought of it made my taste buds drool in delight.
After walking a couple of feet, I came across a boy around the age of 9, who was waiting outside a Pawnshop, wearing worn-out pants and an old Pokemon T-Shirt, which seemed familiar. He had a chocolate cake in his left hand and an orange juice packet in the other. He was sipping it like a divine elixir and gulping it down. A lady in her late 30s was creating some ruckus in the pawnshop. I ceased to watch the action and stood beside the boy who was staring at the lady.
The lady was bargaining with the pawnbroker for her jewels. But the pawnbroker didn’t budge and was very adamant about his offer. The lady was distressed. She then laid her eyes on the monthly calendar hanging on the wall. It was the 7th of Jan. She then took a deep breath and removed the wedding chain on her neck and slammed it on the table. “Hurry up! I need to pay my son’s school fees”, she said.
The Pawnbroker calmly examined the shiny chain of gold and replied, “It is worth the amount you are expecting. But, if you fail to pay your monthly interest, then your jewels will be auctioned” in a firm voice.
“I know that!” said the lady and looked at the boy outside the shop. The innocent boy smiled and waved at her in excitement. She then waved at him back forcing an artificial smile on her depressed face.
The Pawnbroker took the jewels and locked them in an impenetrable steel casket and gave her a bond paper to sign. The lady pressed her thumb on the ink pad thinking about her incompetency to raise a child and her poverty-stricken fate. She then closed her eyes praying to give her strength and placed her thumb imprint on the document with the hope of a bright future for her son.
She walked out after receiving the money from the pawnbroker with her eyes glistening with hope and approached the Boy, knelt with guilt on her face, trying to spot blisters on the boy’s knees. Then, In a crying tone said, “From tomorrow, the teachers won’t punish you”.
The innocent boy was excited and shouted “Yippee!!!” without any awareness of what was going on.
After a few seconds, “Why did they punish me, mom? Did I do anything wrong?” He asked.
The boy’s mother hugged him and said “I’m Sorry! It is all because of me!” and tears began to roll down her sleepless eyes.
Out of the blue, a drop of water fell on my shoulder as I glanced at the sky, It started drizzling. When I looked in front of the Pawnshop, the boy and his mother had faded away. I looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen. It was almost as if they had vanished into thin air. It was like déjà vu.
“Weird!”, I thought to myself and by then the rain had started pouring. So I ran as fast I could to get away from the monstrous thunderstorm. I was breathless when I reached home. My mom was waiting for me with a towel. She dried my hair while I tried to catch my breath.“Why can’t it rain after you reached home! Stupid Rain!” she said.
After a few minutes, I sat on the balcony and began to enjoy the view of the beautiful yet stupid rain. My mom gave me a Chocolate Cake and a glass of Orange juice and said: “It’s your favorite combo!”.
“It sure is!” I said and took a bite of the divine cake. I could feel the melting chocolate cream and the crunchy nuts. Then, I gulped it down with some orange fluid and the taste of the delightful soothing mix sliding through made my tongue shout in ecstasy.
Suddenly, My phone buzzed and interrupted my snack time. It was an email from work. I crossed my fingers hoping for some good news. Fortunately, it was! I had got promoted. I ran to the kitchen in excitement and shared the wonderful news with my mom, who was cooking fish curry. “Hard work always pays off!” she said.
I said, “Yes, Mom! It sure does. It is all because of you. I wouldn’t be here without you”. I hugged her and said “Happy Women’s day Mom! You are my Wonder Woman!”.
This story is dedicated to all the queens and princesses without whom, this world would be a living hell. Without your divine presence, we would have been some two-legged primitive creatures. Without you, the earth would have been a barren wasteland. We men are eternally in your debt. Thank you!
