An Innocent
Aberration
During my childhood the only free time I had was when
my mother used to be busy in kitchen or taking bath. Though my mother used to
ensure that the main door is latched particularly before she went to take bath
in the bathroom of three bed room accommodation that was given to my father as
the hostel incharge of a residential school where he was also working as
science teacher. One such day, when perhaps my mother was busy in the kitchen
and my elder sister and father had already gone to school , I ventured out of
the gate to meet my usual companions- the warder and watchmen of the hostel and
the like. During those days school had given a contract to a cobbler to repair
the shoes of the boys. He used to come to the eight hostels of the by rotation
for one weak each. That week cobbler had come to our hostel and he had placed
his shelter in one corner of the compound of the hostel. Under this shelter he
used to sit continuously with his anvil before him and different sized needles
and threads by his side. This cobbler use to converse with me while doing his
work as it used to relieve his monotony and it also passed my time. So after
coming out of the door of the house I straightway headed towards the place
where cobbler was squatting. That day as we conversed casually he asked me to
bring some sweets as he had a great desire to have something sweet. As warder
came with more footwear of the inmates to be repaired I came back to the house
silently. I found the house vacant as I could make from the running water tap
that mother had gone to take bath in the bathroom. So I straightway went to
kitchen and opened the wooden almirah in the kitchen where mother used to keep
milk and other food items and found some sweets there. I took up one piece of
sweets and came back quickly out of the house and came quickly towards
cobbler’s workplace but in hurry I forgot to close the door of the almirah and
the door of the house in a hurry. I had place the piece of sweets in the pocket
of my half pant. Luckily by the time I reached back warder had already gone and
cobbler was alone so I took out the piece of sweets from my pocket and brought
my hand forward to hand over the sweets to him. Cobbler was totally bewildered
as he had not expected that I will take his wish, that he made casually, so
seriously. Meanwhile my mother came out of bathroom and was surprised to find
the door of the almirah and house open and when she came out of the house to
find the cause of it Cobbler was bringing holding me with one hand and holding
the piece of sweets in the other. Trembling the cobbler put forward his hand
holding the sweet to mother fearing a good scolding from her and even feared
that his contract will be cancelled if the news reached my father. After
listening to the whole incident my mother was confused for some time as how to
react to the situation. But suddenly recollecting herself she took me in at
once and gestured Cobbler to wait and brought for him some vegetables and
chappatis too and of course the piece of sweets as additional bonus. Though she
neither thrashed me nor scolded me but warned me plainly ‘ your objects may be
noble but your methods were unethical, you could have told me to do whatever
you wanted to help your friend.’
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