The Pain Behind The Smile – A Story
Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
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{Andrew is the narrator of the whole story……}
Limitless Happiness
‘Any one knows what destiny is’ said Andrew, a teacher without any parents, to the young children and teenagers sitting in front of him. The place was perfect to listen to any kind of stories, have a nice picnic or just be alone sitting and enjoying the nice breeze always flowing. The place was filled with little hills. There was nothing present but filled with fine grass and a large and very old oak tree at the middle of the hills.
Everyone was shocked at the question Andrew asked. He usually tells fairytales, funny jokes or even adventurous tales or even hand works for the teenagers. And after the stories all of them used to lie around have a smile on their face and used to feel the breeze and just tell their own stories to each other. But this time Andrew was silent and had a sad kind of feeling that was vividly visible on his face.
‘Shall I tell you all a story’ said Andrew. All the children shouted out ‘yes’ with excitement and happiness.
‘There was a boy, like you all except he had a special talent or gift, ‘a gift’ as Raymond said…
Yes this is the story of a boy named Raymond. He was stylish enough to make everyone jealous, the personality that any girl and even guys gets fond of. He always knew what to do and when to do it so that it is perfect. Everyone’s sorrow and all the sadness went away when they got to know that Raymond would come and visit them. He could make anyone of any age laugh at his words and make them happy even if they were in grave pain. He would patiently wait and hear their words of pain and then try to solve them. He was never afraid to tell someone that that person is wrong because he did everything to make them feel good.
The main reason he could be happy about everything was that he accepted what was wrong about him and if he couldn’t fix it then he used to cover the faults with the beauty of happiness he used to set up in everyone’s eyes and hearts. Yes Raymond he was.’
Said Andrew with eyes filled with tears almost ready to fall and crawl down his cheeks.
Kate, one of the teens present asked ‘was stylish, was patient? Why was where is he now??’
Hearing the question Andrew couldn’t stop his tears but to crawl down his cheeks. He quickly wiped his face and resumed back into the story-
‘ He was never good at his studies and he never liked studying.. He used to say ‘You don’t have to study if you want to learn, you just have to….. learn with interest and passion and about the things you like. You don’t have to be average in everything but try to be excellent at only one thing.’ He used hide his exam papers and not tell about his grades because he knew how hurt his mother, Elley, would be hurt. He tried his best to study and good grades but he JUST couldn’t do it.
Whenever he us sit for his homework his mind was into movies, theatres and plays and music. He had a god gifted voice and a real true talent of acting but no one saw them. Every one told him to become a doctor and study. But no one asked what he wanted to be. And with a tendency of being patient and the ability to bear extreme pain he never told how much he was hurt when people said that he should become a doctor. He wanted to become an actor and singer, he wanted fans and unknown people coming out of nowhere and asking for autographs and photographs. But he did not know how to do it. He couldn’t join the plays in school or in the musical groups but always had to study to please his mother’s strong desire of him becoming a doctor.’ slowly like a movie the spoken story showed the life of Raymond himself.
‘Raymond honey, Ray are you listening to me’ said Ellie.
‘Yes mom I can hear you don’t worry I am not deaf.’ Raymond.
‘ So where are the scripts, you know the exam papers you were supposed to receive days ago’ said Ellie in such a voice that crunched Raymond’s heart with terror.
‘Yes mom they will be given to me, don’t know when but I know I will get a good grade.’
‘You better get an A because you have to be a doctor and you know that, don’t you dear?’ said Ellie while fixing Raymond’s hair.
Raymond rushed to his rooms with eyes full of tear and heart filled with sorrow. He went to his room and locked the door but forgot that the lock was jammed and doesn’t work. He fell to the ground and while banging his head slightly on the wall and he cried his heart out and screamed his voice out but suddenly he remembered that his mother might hear him.
He lowered his voice but the sorrow present didn’t stop. His veins were vivid and was understood that how much blood flowed through them. He opened his mouth but couldn’t scream because of his fear against his mother and his eyes were red as ever and he grabbed the carpet beneath him and his face was all sweaty and filled with tears. The whole room had no sound present except the sniffing sound of Raymond. He quickly grabbed his bag and took out the math and English exam paper. They had big ‘ F ’ written on them with deep red colour.
His tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped on the paper making it soggy and wet. He held those papers close to him and cried out as if someone has died but didn’t make a single sound. Suddenly the door knob turned and Ellie came in.
‘ Raymond what is that in your hand’
She didn’t even ask why he was crying. Receiving no reply Ellie screamed out
‘What IS IT. Raymond get up, GET UP’.
With a shaking leg, a sniffing nose and a pounding heart he got up. Ellie grabbed the sheets and her eyes were bigger than ever, filled with anger she came towards Raymond and slapped him. Not once, not twice but kept slapping him repeatedly and grabbing the cricket bat nearby and hit him harder and harder and said
‘ you, you idiot. You can’t even get an A in your exams look at us, look at us. Your father and I were the toppers of the school and now we are successful doctors. And you I am ashamed that you are even my son.’
‘please mom please you are hurting me please, mom please….’ shouted out Raymond.
After all that nonsense thrown in Raymond’s face and couple more rough hits with the bat Elley left. Raymond rushed to the door slammed the door giving the whole house to experience a shake he went to the toilet, locked the door and cried his heart out. This time he didn’t stop making the sound, he screamed harder and harder every time, he could feel the pain in his vocal cords but didn’t stop. He had that much pain existing in his heart.
This was not the first time he was treated like this several times before. He punched the floor and moved his legs. He was feeling such pain that no one could understand. He got up and opened his t-shirt and saw a terrible scene in the mirror. There were marks of hitting and cuts and bruises that were once done by Elley and healed back but the marks never faded away but stayed and reminded him of his constant painful past. He took a shower and yet couldn’t stop crying.
He didn’t cry because he was hit but because he knew how embarrassed his mother would feel he said ‘ma, mom please forgive me, please PLEASE … I don’t want you to be hurt, I am trying my best but can’t make a good result.’
‘Why don’t you understand that I want to study in the media line??’ saying all these things looking outside the window . ‘
Why don’t you work hard enough then?’ said Elley throwing clothes at Raymond.
‘ There is a party tonight. Do get dressed and just……. Just get dressed.’
Closing his eyes and letting tears fall and hit the ground he said ‘ yes mom. I will get ready’.
The night came and Raymond, Ellie and James, Raymond’s father, all went to the party. Then Raymond showed his real gift/talent. He greeted his cousins with such manner that no one would even guess that he might have such pain… everyone grabbed a can of soda and started gossiping and Raymond started making others laughing by cracking jokes and acting one of the teachers from the school and they all laughed together. Emma, one of his cousins suddenly said
‘you have limitless happiness in your life don’t you..you are always happy and make us all happy. You are so lucky because you have never felt pain..hahaha..’
Hearing this Raymond with a small smile and turned and looked at his mother and again looked at Emma and smile slightly and looked down.
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