Short Story Family – Sunaina
© Anand Vishnu Prakash, YourStoryClub.com
Little Sunaina had been profusely weeping when she was brought to mother. She had been picked up by didi, her care taker, from the pickup point where her school bus dropped her. The bus conductor had carried her out of the bus and handed her to didi who carried her home while she rubbed her eyes and sobbed all along the way over her shoulder.
Sunaina was a student of the first grade and had always been a very happy child. Going to school at times was a problem for her as is for all young children but she had never returned home crying. Mother was very concerned. She put aside Sunaina’s two month old brother and carried Sunaina in her lap. This was a very special moment for her and she almost forgot her tears. After the baby had come she had been rarely able to make it to her mother’s lap.Wiping her face with the edge of her dupatta, very affectionately she asked her what the problem was. Sunaina said she had been hit by Mehul Bhaiya in the bus. Now who was Mehul bhaiya mother wanted to know. The one who was sitting beside her. Which class was he in ? He was in the sixth grade.
Mother was furious. Immediately she called up her husband who was in the office lest she should forget about it as the baby had been very cranky since a day or two. She narrated to him how their daughter had returned home crying today. He too was very angry to hear this. How could a grade six boy get away with hitting his little five year old daughter? Wasn’t any responsible person there to look after the children? He was not going to remain silent about this. He called up the school principal and reported this incident to her in a very angry tone. She listened patiently and tried to calm him by assuring that she would look in to the matter and get back to him.
The bus conductor and the driver were called upon by the principal. They knew nothing of this sort to have happened. Now she was left with no other choice but to wait for the next day till Sunaina would herself come to the school and narrate the incident but her father had decided that unless the school has not seen into the matter and not taken her culprit to task and assured him of not letting such a thing happen again he would not send her to school, and this he conveyed to her.
The next morning, Mehul was called to the principal’s office and asked if he had hit Sunaina while returning home from school the previous day. He refused and the principal had every reason for believing him as he was quite a well behaved boy otherwise.
She got back to Sunaina’s father and requested him to inquire in detail with Sunaina about the matter because the reports they were getting were contradictory to what she had said.
Father had not talked to Sunaina about this up till now. Today when he returned from office he had decided to ask her what had happened. Sunaina was watching her favorite cartoon and father had to wait before she would happily turn off the T.V. Now they were talking to each other. Sunaina was in father’s lap.
Father asked her what had happened in the bus the previous day. Sunaina could not recall. Then he asked her why she had been crying when didi came to pick her at the bus stop , but she had forgotten. Father assured his daughter by telling her not to feel scared of anyone and no one would scold her even if it was her fault. Even the school principal was very kind and would not say a thing to her. But Sunaina still looked confused.
Now father asked her if there was a boy called Mehul who had hit her in the school bus. Now, Sunaina seemed to be remembering something. Her eyes lit up as she was able to solve father’s query , “oh that…the dream…” very innocently she said. Which dream asked father .
“oh, the one I saw when I came home crying”.
So what was the dream father asked getting impatient.
” I was sleeping in the bus and I had a dream that Mehul bhaiya hit me and so I started crying and then didi came to pick me up.”
Father was astonished at this reply. He asked her why dint mother know that she was talking of a dream.To this Sunaina gave some thought and replied, “it is all the baby’s fault. He keeps her so busy…. she just forgot to ask me about the dream.”
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