Coloured Balloons.

'Hi! Can I have that green balloon?'. I looked down from the counter. A pudgy, wide eyed boy stood in front of me, looking at the coloured balloons tied to the corner of my store. 'That would cost you 5 rupees kid!'. 'Oh. Momma gave me 10 rupees', he said, a little confused. 'Hmm lets see. Would you like a red balloon for another 5 rupees?'. 'I can have two?', he said, bulging his eyes in awe. 'Yes you can, young man'. 'Cooool! Thankyou!'. He stood tip-toed, handed me the money and took the balloons. He clenched the strings of the balloons extremely tight in his two hands, hop-skipped to a granite bench and plopped himself on top. Something inside of me told me to strike up a conversation with the boy. I left my store and walked up to the kid. 


'May I sit here?', I asked him. He smiled and nodded. He then quickly turned his glance to a group of boys playing cricket. 'Tickeeeeet!', he screamed as the batsman was bowled out. 'Uhh, do you mean wicket?'. 'No ticket!', he said. I giggled to myself. 'So uhm, do you like cricket?'.'Oh yeah I love cricket! Adarsh teaches me to play every weekend'. 'Oh who's Adarsh?', I asked him. He bulged his eyes wide again. 'You don't know Adarsh? I thought everyone knew him! He's my friend, and he lives next door. He's playing cricket over there'. The kid continued watching the game of cricket, and we did'nt say anything for a while. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and said, 'I almost forgot! Momma said no talking to strangers', with a vexed look on his face. 'I thought we were friends!',I said. He instantly got up and said, 'Let me make you my friend! We'll have to do the handshake. Now, repeat after me'. He hit his knees with his hands, followed by his belly and then his cheeks. He spun around really fast and hi-fived me. I repeated the ritual, as he chuckled really loud when I slapped my belly hard. We then shook hands. We were now 'sworn in' as friends. 


'So, how old are you?', I asked him. 'I'm five', has said, stretching his palm out wide in front of my face.'How about you?'. 'Im 32'. '32? You're old! My momma is old too. She is twenty ten!'. 'Uhh do you mean thrity?'. 'No I mean twenty ten. Stop asking me that question!'. The boys grandiose behaviour was extremely charming. 'Do you love your momma?', he asked me. 'Ofcourse I do! Who does'nt?'. He did'nt reply. 'Do you have a Poppa?', he asked me. 'Yes', I said, 'He's a mechanic'. 'Whats mechanic?'. 'A mechanic is someone who fixes cars and stuff'. 'Oh cooool. I have a Poppa too. I just dont know where he is right now. He went away somewhere when I was a little baby. Momma does everything for me now. But I'd really like to see him'.


A tall muddy boy walked up to the both of us. 'Rishi! It's 5 already! We should get going'. 'I have to go back to Momma now', he said to me. 'Bye uh..what's your name?'. 'You can just call me D. Rishi wait. I have something to give you before you go'. I gave him a balloon of the colour blue. 'This is for your momma'. He looked at me with his bulged eyes again. 'Thats funny! My Mommas name is Nilee!'. I stroked his hair and whispered in his ears, 'I know'. Adarsh walked him away before he could say anything else. 


The three coloured balloons moved further and further away from me. I watched them till they disappeared from my sight. I walked back to my store.
I was right all along.

Happy 2013! Ciao for now :)