A story by Nirupama Dutt on an adolescent girl's first heartbreak
The greatest challenge before 11-year-old Anu was the dance show to be held after the December examinations. Not because she was bent upon becoming a great dancer but because she wanted to prove to Inder uncle that she was better than the others.
Veena had come to live there with her parents recently and when Inder uncle saw her for the first time, he said, “You are very pretty.”
Veena had blushed a pretty pink and covered her eyes with her dainty eyes while Inder uncle went on, “Why are you feeling shy? When I told Sunita this, she did not feel shy”.
Anu sitting on the still swing was a witness to this tete-a-tete. She realised with a heavy heart that only she had been spared that compliment.
Inder uncle was the unacknowledged here of all the young girls in the army officers’ hostels where Anu lived. He was the only bachelor living there and so dashing at that. He was slim, fair, with regular features and a soft smile. The girls who were waiting impatiently for their teens to start, were drawn to him by an attraction they had yet to identify.
Veena and Anu learnt Kathak for an hour every day in the hostel club along with some younger girls. When Guruji announced that there would be a dance show for the entire hostel, Anu made up her mind to do her best and beat Veena. Then Inder uncle would like her more. He made it a point to join the girls in their play in the evenings. He would skip with them, play hop-scotch and tell them stories of his own school-days. Anu would be there all the time but her heart was set on the show. What if she had a squint? She would dance better than Veena and he would like her then.
About three motnhs before the show, two things happened. Anu’s chest was no longer flat and her mother bought her two bras with tiny pink bows. The bows were so pretty that it seemed a pity to hide them under a chemise and a blouse. Anyhow Anu felt more and more confident with the knowledge that there was a pretty bra beneath her blouse, chemise and all.
The second happening was that Inder uncle’s sister, auntie Roma, came from America with her two little daughters, Sherry and Cutie.
One day Anu overheard Auntie Kapoor talking to her mother. She was saying, “Roma has come from America to look for a girl for Inder. But isn’t she fussy! I suggested my niece but she showed no interest. I think they are looking for a lot of dowry. They want a working girl too.”
Just like Auntie Kapoor, thought the annoyed Anu. Just because her husband was not here, she had all the time in the world for gossiping and backbiting. How could she talk against auntie Roma who was so wonderful? He would open a bottle of coke for Anu and together they would keep the little ones amused. Anu saw more of him than did Sunita or Veena. But still he had not told her that she was pretty or that he liked her even if she was not pretty.
The day of the show was approaching fast. It was quite an exciting event. All the members of the club were contributing money for the dinner. The girls who were dancing would get free dinner and a small present each. The dances would be followed by tambola and even the children would be allowed to play.
And finally the much awaited day came. Just before the show Anu felt her knees going weak and she prayed feverishly that her squint should not let her down and Inder uncle should like her the best. She felt better on the improvised stage and danced away looking at the heads of the audience seated below. After the dances were over, presents were given to all the participants. The hall was full and the stage was being taken over by the tambola announcers. She had no wish to join the tambola. It was suffocating in the hall. She received the kisses of her parents and ran out to the lawn for a breath of fresh year. Tables were being laid out in the lawn for the buffet dinner and Inder uncle was standing in a corner puffing at his cigarette. Suddenly she felt shy facing him in all her finery. But he came up to her smiling a different smile. Caressing her shoulder gently he said:
“Anu, I’ll tell you something if you promise not to tell it to anyone.”
Breathless, Anu looked at the little twinkle in his eyes and said, “Promise.”
“I liked you the best in the show but don’t tell anyone. It will be our little secret.”
Little secret! It was the greatest and most precious secret entrusted to her young heart. She went through the dinner telling herself over and again that he liked her the most. She did not care that during the dinner he was standing in a corner of the lawn talking to Veena. What did it matter! What did anything matter! He liked her the best!
That night she stared at herself in the mirror. The squint was absent and her large eyes were sparkling. With her fingers she felt the soft satin of her blouse under which she wore her pretty bra with a pink bow. She decided against changing into a drab cotton night suit and went to bed as she was. In the morning her mother was surprised to find her sleeping all dolled up. At school the teacher scolded twice for day-dreaming but she had no care in the world. She almost danced her way back from school, changed her dress, had her lunch and got ready to go for the Kathak class. Veena called out to her and together they started for the club jingling the anklets which they carried in their hands. On the way Veena stopped for a while and said:
“Anu, I promised not to tell anyone but you are my best friend so I’ll share my secret with you. After the show last night, Inder uncle told me that he had liked me the best.”
Anu stared at her in disbelief and started talking about school pretending not to have heard the secret at all. When they reached the hall, Anu said, “Veena, I think I’ll go back home; my stomach is paining. Tell Guruji that I won’t be able to dance today.”
Veena had come to live there with her parents recently and when Inder uncle saw her for the first time, he said, “You are very pretty.”
Veena had blushed a pretty pink and covered her eyes with her dainty eyes while Inder uncle went on, “Why are you feeling shy? When I told Sunita this, she did not feel shy”.
Anu sitting on the still swing was a witness to this tete-a-tete. She realised with a heavy heart that only she had been spared that compliment.
Inder uncle was the unacknowledged here of all the young girls in the army officers’ hostels where Anu lived. He was the only bachelor living there and so dashing at that. He was slim, fair, with regular features and a soft smile. The girls who were waiting impatiently for their teens to start, were drawn to him by an attraction they had yet to identify.
Veena and Anu learnt Kathak for an hour every day in the hostel club along with some younger girls. When Guruji announced that there would be a dance show for the entire hostel, Anu made up her mind to do her best and beat Veena. Then Inder uncle would like her more. He made it a point to join the girls in their play in the evenings. He would skip with them, play hop-scotch and tell them stories of his own school-days. Anu would be there all the time but her heart was set on the show. What if she had a squint? She would dance better than Veena and he would like her then.
About three motnhs before the show, two things happened. Anu’s chest was no longer flat and her mother bought her two bras with tiny pink bows. The bows were so pretty that it seemed a pity to hide them under a chemise and a blouse. Anyhow Anu felt more and more confident with the knowledge that there was a pretty bra beneath her blouse, chemise and all.
The second happening was that Inder uncle’s sister, auntie Roma, came from America with her two little daughters, Sherry and Cutie.
One day Anu overheard Auntie Kapoor talking to her mother. She was saying, “Roma has come from America to look for a girl for Inder. But isn’t she fussy! I suggested my niece but she showed no interest. I think they are looking for a lot of dowry. They want a working girl too.”
Just like Auntie Kapoor, thought the annoyed Anu. Just because her husband was not here, she had all the time in the world for gossiping and backbiting. How could she talk against auntie Roma who was so wonderful? He would open a bottle of coke for Anu and together they would keep the little ones amused. Anu saw more of him than did Sunita or Veena. But still he had not told her that she was pretty or that he liked her even if she was not pretty.
The day of the show was approaching fast. It was quite an exciting event. All the members of the club were contributing money for the dinner. The girls who were dancing would get free dinner and a small present each. The dances would be followed by tambola and even the children would be allowed to play.
And finally the much awaited day came. Just before the show Anu felt her knees going weak and she prayed feverishly that her squint should not let her down and Inder uncle should like her the best. She felt better on the improvised stage and danced away looking at the heads of the audience seated below. After the dances were over, presents were given to all the participants. The hall was full and the stage was being taken over by the tambola announcers. She had no wish to join the tambola. It was suffocating in the hall. She received the kisses of her parents and ran out to the lawn for a breath of fresh year. Tables were being laid out in the lawn for the buffet dinner and Inder uncle was standing in a corner puffing at his cigarette. Suddenly she felt shy facing him in all her finery. But he came up to her smiling a different smile. Caressing her shoulder gently he said:
“Anu, I’ll tell you something if you promise not to tell it to anyone.”
Breathless, Anu looked at the little twinkle in his eyes and said, “Promise.”
“I liked you the best in the show but don’t tell anyone. It will be our little secret.”
Little secret! It was the greatest and most precious secret entrusted to her young heart. She went through the dinner telling herself over and again that he liked her the most. She did not care that during the dinner he was standing in a corner of the lawn talking to Veena. What did it matter! What did anything matter! He liked her the best!
That night she stared at herself in the mirror. The squint was absent and her large eyes were sparkling. With her fingers she felt the soft satin of her blouse under which she wore her pretty bra with a pink bow. She decided against changing into a drab cotton night suit and went to bed as she was. In the morning her mother was surprised to find her sleeping all dolled up. At school the teacher scolded twice for day-dreaming but she had no care in the world. She almost danced her way back from school, changed her dress, had her lunch and got ready to go for the Kathak class. Veena called out to her and together they started for the club jingling the anklets which they carried in their hands. On the way Veena stopped for a while and said:
“Anu, I promised not to tell anyone but you are my best friend so I’ll share my secret with you. After the show last night, Inder uncle told me that he had liked me the best.”
Anu stared at her in disbelief and started talking about school pretending not to have heard the secret at all. When they reached the hall, Anu said, “Veena, I think I’ll go back home; my stomach is paining. Tell Guruji that I won’t be able to dance today.”
No comments:
Post a Comment