Short Story – ‘Diamonds’ in the mines!
Photo credit: imelenchon from morguefile.com
She touched the diamond ring on her finger. It was sparkling under the mid-day sun.
She remembered her husband’s words while he slipped that onto her ring finger years back.
“The ad says “A diamond is forever” like the love we share!”
But now, the more she looked at it, the more pain she felt. The earlier spark was killed.
A journalist’s family life can’t be always that filmy romantic.
Her journey that day was for the special feature on Children’s day.
And it left her with pangs of pain.
Her destination was a mine. Oh no, no that usual mines, from where we get petroleum or coal or even water.
She has reached a diamond mine. She saw there nothing but children working to find a diamond.
Cheerless faces, drab lives!
Children were preferred there being small enough to be lowered into small, narrow pits to dig out sacks of dirt in search of diamonds.
She tried talking with the small worker boy who accompanied her as a guide.
“This gives bread to me and my family. Someday I might find a diamond, that will change my future. Then I can go back to school.”
As he shared his dreams, she was amazed to see the hope that still survived in his heart.
A scene flashed across her mind; her own son stuffing McDonald’s hamburgers into his mouth, watching Star wars,comfortably sitting on a cushioned sofa in their cosy room.
And in front of her stood kids, younger to her son, who gave up their classes out of hunger and took on a dangerous journey for a bright future, digging and polishing diamonds. ‘Diamonds’ in the mines!
The thought left her teary. She felt a heaviness in the heart.
She knew she can’t change their lives, but she did what she could.
She gave her diamond ring to the boy.
Her husband would forgive, sure she was. They have never fallen out of love, since they had fallen in.
Love that’s true needs no expensive gift or emblem.
She wasn’t an admirer of Shah Jahan either, who built one world wonder as the epitome of love, employing slaves.
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