Priya crawled her fingers over the grey walls of the schools. She had a blue plain school bag and a green lunch bag in her left hand. Her sweaty right hand glossed over the walls, then a dusty table in the waiting room. Priya waited for her mother to pick her up from school. She dreamt of an orange lays packet as she waited. She knew her wait would end with an orange potato delight. She went ahead and sat on the chair next to the dusty table. She looked over the watch lady that stood near the gate. The watch lady glared at Priya as if she had done a murder by choosing to sit on the chair. The steel chair did not comfort the anxious Priya but the only thing that soothed her anxiety was the orange lays packet. Priya couldn’t stop tapping her feet on the ground. She found herself chipping her nails off with the aid of her teeth, such was her excitement. Excitement to go home, to grab the orange delight on her way back home. All this was dependent on her mother. Her mother was the harbinger of her dreams. The dream, which might not be a great one for y’all but it was to a Ten-year-old Priya. The black leather shoes she wore added rhythms to her excitement. The constant floor tapping didn’t stop until she heard the watch lady call “Priya”
“Yes Ma’am”, howled Priya. Her eyes were gleaming with joy. She ran towards the gate. A lady wearing yellow salwar and pink Kurti with red dupatta stood a little further from the school gate.
“Maa, you are here finally, you promised a lays packet in the morning, hope you did not forget that? '' said excited Priya.
“ Oh. Priya. Stop demanding things every day. Do not create havoc near the school. Let us keep moving. I have tons of work left” grumbled the mother.”
Shattered, Priya held her mother’s hand and started walking with a sulky face, watching the ground, matching her footsteps with her mothers, jumping over potholes filled with rainwater.
“Priya, stop jumping over and act like a decent girl, if you fall I have to answer your dad, “ said her mother angrily.
Miserable Priya looked at her mother grumpily. They passed by the local stores, Piya could see the orange delights hanging in front of the store. She kept looking at them as she passed by. She fixed her gaze over her dream, which was now unattainable. She turned around and looked at what she dreamt about the whole day. She stopped in the middle of the road and started crying loudly, demanding her dream.
“Priya, stop creating a mess. I won’t buy you that “ said the mother as she dragged crying Priya and walked swiftly. Priya had no choice but to cry her way back home. Priya and her mother reached home. Crying Priya put her bags down and ran towards the bathroom. The mother did not budge and make up to Priya. Upset Priya was her least concern. All the mother cared about was her TV show which was to be aired when the clock struck one. She sat on the chair, watched her show, She laughed at the slapstick humour, she giggled at the sloppy romance that was aired on the show. She was filled with joy as she watched the show. Priya watched how joyful her mother was, the joy which she denied her and did not realise. Priya was developing a cold eye towards her mother. To her, she was a monster, a barrier and an obstacle that did not let her unite with her orange delight. After completing the show, her mother left the five-year-old in the house, instructing her to sit by the window and watch people as she had to go to the local markets to buy something. This rekindled hope for little Priya. Priya thought her mother would surprise her with orange lays. She agreed to sit by the window. She saw her mother pass the lane with a bag. She only imagined her mother returning with packets of orange lays. The dream was alive again but minutes later she saw her mother carry bangles of a different kind. The bangles which her mother was speaking, rather dreaming of for a month now. The happiness in her mother’s face shattered Priya. The dreams were dusted again. Priya’s dream of orange delight went in vain. The mother returned, unpacked the bangles, wore them, three on each hand, “Wow, this suits me.” She kept adoring herself while Priya looked on.
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