HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER
The red hearts and teddy
bears drew Sumitha’s attention as she looked for the perfect gift for her
Valentine. Somehow, they seemed too lurid and overblown. Besides, what good
would they be in a tiny flat once Valentine’s Day went by? Would chocolates be
a better bet? The gift chocolate boxes beckoned her, each one more attractive
than the last. She took down one, wincing at the price stamped outside. It was
clearly beyond her modest budget, even though she had pooled three months of
her pocket money for this.
Sumitha knew that the gift
gallery was overpriced. Her mother had warned her about it.
“Sumi, I doubt whether you
will find anything that suits your pocket there,” she had smiled, unwilling to
quash her daughter’s enthusiasm.
“Would you like a mug with a
heart on it? Or a poster that depicts love?” the salesman needed to make a sale.
He was being very attentive, indeed.
Sumitha shook her head. There
was nothing here that would appeal to the person she wanted to surprise with a gift.
That evening, her parents
tried cheering her up. Her sister, Mamta, cracked a few jokes which fell flat.
Nothing, it seemed, could cheer the girl up.
February 14th was
three days away. Sumitha kept pondering over the perfect gift till her eyes
closed of their own volition. The moonlight streamed into the room through the
tiny window, leaving a caress on the girl’s head.
The next day, Sumitha went
to school as usual. She enjoyed spending time with her friends, and for a
while, the idea of the gift went out of her head. By evening, however, her mind
had stared whirling again, ideas jostling against one another. What could she
buy?
It was as she was strolling
along a side street that she suddenly saw a little boy sitting outside a tiny
house, his head bent over something on his lap. He appeared to be drawing
something. When she got closer, she saw that he was painting a picture. She
stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as she saw the purity of the image
etched on a piece of paper that was a trifle crumpled. It had traces of
turmeric on it and a splatter of oil. However, all that did not take away from
the beauty of his creation.
Sumitha could not tear her
eyes away from the painting. It was a portrait
of a little girl with large eyes, looking away into the distance. There was a
faint smile on her porcelain face as she fiddled with her black ringlets.
“Wow, she is so beautiful!”
breathed Sumitha. The little boy looked up at her, a curious frown on his face.
“Who are you, Didi?” he
asked in Hindi.
Two days later, Sumitha
walked into class with a package wrapped in brown paper. It was Valentine’s Day
and her friends had brought cards, red roses and chocolates as gifts for one
another.
“What is in the package,
Sumitha?” asked her friend, Reena.
Sumitha smiled. Before she
could answer, the door opened and their class teacher, Mrs. Jayaram, walked in.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ma’am!”
the class shouted, waving their gifts in the air. Mrs. Jayaram was a popular
teacher and the children had outdone themselves in getting her little gifts.
Sumitha waited till all her friends
had handed over their gifts, and finally, she stood up and walked towards her
teacher. She handed over the brown package to her.
Mrs. Jayaram unwrapped the gift
and an involuntary gasp escaped her. She gazed at the portrait in astonishment,
unable to say a word. The next moment, she reached out and hugged Sumitha as though
she would never let go.
“Thank you, my dear.” She
turned the portrait towards the class and there was a stunned silence. The
likeness was amazing, and never had Mrs. Jayaram ever seen a portrait of
herself that was so lifelike.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ma’am!”
smiled Sumitha. She was thrilled that her idea had worked. This was, indeed,
the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
At the end of the year, when
the scholarships were given out in school, there was one particular boy who
received one in Art, a little artist who had a certain magic in his fingers to create the
most realistic portraits ever. As he received his scholarship, he turned and
smiled at Sumitha, who was clapping enthusiastically, her eyes shining with
pride.
The little artist who had
created the perfect gift for her had finally received his perfect reward.
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