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Articles: Short Stories | Woes seldom go, joys ever come
- Ms. Sowmya V.B.
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“Oh! Monday morning again!” my heart cried looking at the wall clock. “get ready Anitha” I can hear Mom shouting from the kitchen. I lay prone on the bed unwilling to face the sun-rays falling on my face through the window beside me. Now, I understand why suma hates to sleep beside the window especially on Sunday nights. By the way, Suma is my sister. Lucky girl..she is in college now. I prayed God to pour in heavy rain today. So heavy that I can’t step outside and I’ll not be allowed to go to school. The very thought of those horrible physics classes and that large stick in Hindi teacher’s hand frightened me to my wits end. “Ani, don’t you hear me? Get ready soon else Daddy won’t leave you at the bus-stop”-shouted mom. The next moment, I was in the bath room trying to get ready. The very thought of walking all the way to the bus stop with my heavily loaded school-bag and lunch box terrified me.
Within remarkable time, I got ready and was before the breakfast table. If at all a competition is held in getting ready soon, I am sure to stand among the toppers(if not in studies). While mother was combing my hair, I began eating as much as I can like a glutton. It is 7:30 now and I’ll have to have my lunch only at 1:00. so, I have no other option. Just then, Dad came. “are you ready ani?” he asked looking at me. He was in a hurry to leave as he had just received a call from his boss. I grabbed some groundnuts, pushed them in to my pocket and ran after him with my overloaded school bag, my lunch box, short break snack box and a big milton bottle. Fortunate I was, for dad was just about to leave. He left me at the busstop and went off.. The school has no bus in my route. Dad feels I can go by ordinary bus. A bus full of passengers, foot boarding guys, howling villagers, a short tempered driver-conductor pair, and above all those fashionable college girls all of who look upon me as an insect. A bus in to which children like me can’t enter without enormous strength. I don’t understand how this is a convenient means of transport for dad. How I hope to have a comfortable seat for my luggage in the bus(if not for me!) How I wish that a metro should come at this time!
While I was hoping for all these, the bus came. With a wealth of passengers getting in to it at each stop, it started moving like a pregnant lady. I got in to it with 20 other soldiers..as I call them. Travelling in this bus is no less then fighting in a war field. Even if we win, we can’t come out safely here. As I was thinking, I heard a shout “hey! Get in, you silly girl! Can’t you see the board? Foot boarding is dangerous” shouted the driver. But, I was not on the steps. But, I got accustomed to these shouts. Whenever some meddlesome woman stands there, since they will not leave him if he shouts at them, children like me fall prey to him. I stopped feeling hurt for these unlawful verbal assaults long back. In an attempt to move a little backward responding to the shouts of conductor, I almost fell on a person. “hey! Can’t you see? You and your bag ……you idiot!” shouted a villager who came with his luggage. His baskets covered the entire standing area. It is because of that luggage that I stood there. Yet, I am the cause of his inconvenience. “these little rascals…carry this big heavy bags, fall on others..no manners at all” some one was saying to his co-passenger. As if we have no other work than to fall on others and get scolding from them! My anger rose. Someone pushed me fro the back, some from the front. Some towards that villager who scorns at me all the time. Everytime I get pushed from one side, I get scolded from the other. I don’t understand. They speak as if I am the only cause of their inconvenience.
After a few minutes, I managed to stand beside a fat lady sitting comfortably. I asked her politely-“aunty, can you please hold my bag for sometime?” The very moment, she began screaming at me-“how do u expect me to hold that donkey load? can’t you carry for yourself? Don’t you have hands and legs?” she shouted. It was really embarrasing. Why should she creat such a fuss? Can’t she reject a bit politely? When those college girls give their bags these very people take them! My anger rose even more. I felt humiliated. There was a stong instinct inside me to shout till the last word at that villager, to sit on the fatty’s back and beat her, to push all passengers to one side and sit comfortably and sit on the other. I know..all these will never happen…because, I am a child..just a helpless school going child.
“ticket, ticket” the conductor came announcing his arrival. A fat one was pushing the even fatter conductor backwards…my bag was almost torn in this struggle.again, I am the victim of these circumstances. Those shouts, those comments, that mockery was replayed. I began to imagine a situation where I was in the dock as the accused. All thse people were laying accusations against me and I had no defence lawyer. Outraged, I looked at my watch. Its time to leave. My stop is nearing. I started my attempts to get to the exit feeling relieved. Atlast, I’ve got a chance to take revenge. I started pushing all people around hitting them with my bag while moving. Everyday, I used to feel sorry for causing inconvenience to others with my luggage. But, I lost patience. None saw my perspective. None understood my trouble in carrying this luggage. None pitied my bending back. None felt for my aching hands and shoulders. None was kind to me. Then, why should I care? Why should I bother about their inconvenience? Thinking so, I came out of the bus. I can still hear those people shouting at me and school children in general(as if their children never went to school in a bus!). people say-school days are the best, full f joys and pleasures. But who knows? These are the most trying days. I bet we can as well get a degree in different loads during these days.
Our woes seldom go, joys ever come
These loads, these journeys,
These unending exam schedules,
Never will these end!
Will God send us the pleasures of childhood?
Can we ever feel the joy of living in childhood?
These woes seldom go
Joys might never come.
Thinking this way, I marched towards my school well prepared to bear the bamboo felicitation for dirty dressing-the reward this travel gives me regularly. “such is life,child” is that you all say? “its all natural in life, child. You have to adjust.You should not think too sensitively. You should learn to adjust.” I know this is what you say. Because, I’ve been hearing it from mom, pop, suma, my grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunty and everybody else since my tenth birthday, since I started travelling by the bus. These woes neither end nor are solved….who knows? I might also become a part of these people one day for someone who stands in the dock. What do you say?
Note: In solidarity with young girls and boys who travel by APSRTC ordinary buses everyday.
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