By Akanksha Sapkal
Sitting on a garden bench, she looked deep in thought, her emotions in turmoil. Deep in contemplation, she remained unaware as a young girl approached and quietly took a seat beside her, with the calmness of the garden embracing them both
"Are you okay? You appear quite sad," the young girl inquired with an adorable, perplexed look on her face. The older woman turned her gaze towards the child, and for an instant, she was genuinely startled. She conducted a double-take to verify the existence of the girl seated beside her. She was so surprised that she even poked her arm to make sure the little girl was genuinely there. "You? How?" she murmured to herself, primarily taken aback by the unexpected encounter.
"Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?" the young girl inquired, gently patting her face with her tiny hands. The older woman quickly responded, "No, no, there's nothing wrong with your face. I was just... never mind," her words trailing off, her thoughts a bit tangled.
Putting aside her initial confusion, the young girl beamed at the older woman, her fingers idly toying with the strands of her loose braid. "You know, you resemble my mother quite a bit," she mentioned with genuine warmth, causing an immediate, heartfelt smile to spread across the older woman's face. "Thank you, sweetheart. That means a great deal to me," she replied with a tender smile of her own. "And you, my dear, are adorable," she added, touched by the little one's words.
"Thank you, miss, but you didn't address my earlier question," the young girl persisted with a caring tone. "You seemed so lost. Are you feeling alright?"
"Don't worry about it. Just dealing with grown-ups' problems, you won't understand," the woman replied. This comment visibly upset the little girl. An angry pout formed on her lips automatically. Wearing a small frown, she said, "I hate this thing about grown-up people. They always tell us not to lie to elders, not to hide anything from elders, and to share our problems with elders, but they don't follow their advice. That is so... um... that is so..."
"Inequitable?"
"No, no, what was the word? It's an easy word."
"Unjust?"
"Indeed, it's unjust," she replied, nodding. "You know, us kids, we've got our own set of challenges, some even tougher than what adults might think. But we don't mope around and sit on random benches like you do. We learn to share our troubles with grown-ups, just like they tell us to. We follow their guidance to tackle one problem at a time, step by step, to make it all more manageable. And, most importantly, we never forget to play and find joy in the midst of it all. That's precisely why I came to the garden in the first place."
The older woman was momentarily taken aback by the young girl's words. "You certainly have a way with words," she finally managed to say.
The girl nodded. "My teacher often says the same thing, apparently which is why I ended up with a punishment I have to complete tomorrow. And then there's a mountain of homework, and there’s a guy I need to handle to protect my friend, and, if that weren't enough, my mom..."
"Wait a moment," the older woman interjected. "I can see you're facing quite a few challenges. The real question is, what's your plan for tackling them?"
"Please, excuse me, but my mom always reminds me that it's impolite to interrupt," the young girl responded firmly.
"Oh! I apologize."
The girl smiled. "No worries. To answer your question, like I mentioned earlier, I take on my problems one at a time. First, I needed to clear my mind, so I came here to play. Now that I feel better, I'll head home, finish my homework, and tackle that punishment tomorrow. It's all about taking it step by step. After all, who needs to rush? Rushing just makes me feel like a squirrel on too much coffee!" The older woman couldn't help but chuckle at the lighthearted analogy.
"That's quite wise of you, and I appreciate it. Thanks to your perspective, I already feel better. I never realized I had such wisdom as a child," she softly mumbled the last part to herself, ensuring it remained unheard.
"Miss, I appreciate you calling me wise, but most of the credit for my wisdom goes to my mother. I'm just happy to see you in better spirits. I couldn't bear to see you sad, so I had to inquire," the little girl said gratefully.
"That's truly heartwarming. You know, I used to be just like you when I was a child. I wish I had never lost that."
"Well, I can assure you this, I won't change. Other than my appearance and height, nothing about me will change. I'll remind myself of that when needed," the young girl said, offering the older woman a sincere smile. "Let's consider this our reminder."
The older woman returned the young girl's smile, a surprising realization dawning upon her— they were one and the same.
By Akanksha Sapkal
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