Age of innocence

It was during Dashain, sunny and bright day of october afternoon. Most of the children were at the statue yard of the Bal Mamdir. There was a reason for them to be on that particular yard, because there was a swinging ping, just erected to to keep them busy during the long vacation of Dashain and at the same time it was also a great source of entertainment for children. Children were on line waiting to play swinging ping, as their turn comes. Near by the scene a housemother, Kedar Shrestha, was sitting on a chair with a long list of childrens name on her hand and busy taking the sizes of shoes for each children, who were playing there.

There were about a little more than a half dozen children, who have gathered around her to try out shoe, just to find out, the exact size of shoe, and slipping it on their feet, the one that was handed to them by the housemother.

I was also nearby, perhaps waiting for my own turn to come. Before me there were many, but now its Achyut Panta, who was trying a shoe on his feet. when he slipped a shoe on his one feet, some thing did not feel right. Housemother checked it, in front of his toes and there were still some space, but shoes did not fit him. it was a white cotton shoes, for which we used to call it tennis shoes, its ear had gone inside, while he tried to slip on his one foot. So, just to guide him, she said, “why not you pull ear [shoes’ lobe] ? and then it might fit you”. Even then, he could not slip his whole foot inside that shoes.

Achyut, was half standing while trying on a shoe and the housemother was sitting on a chair but now her whole concentration was focused on his foot. during all this, he was pulling his own ear lobe instead of shoes ear, his ear lobe had turned red, and even then the shoes did not fit him. The housemother, did not see him pulling his own ear lobe.

After some time, Achyut figured out what she meant when she said pull the ear, then the shoes fitted him, perfectly. By this time Achyut, was about to cry with pain as he really had pulled hard, his ear lobe with repeated request coming from the housemother.

Reflection of this incident gives me a glimpse of how stupidity filled the age of preteens or teenage can be.

There is one more incident, it could have been long summer vacations, so boredom must have created unusual hunger pang. So, we were hanging in the kitchen area, a midday snacks was being prepared. Such unusual visit often distract them, more often than it becomes a helping hand. Just can not remember whose turn it was to make the midday snacks. She was not even around. There was two big clay built oven, on one side of the oven wood fire was already doused but on the another side of the oven, a big pan was placed where water was boiling to the max, down the big pot a big fire burning. That water was for milk for young children and tea for youngsters.

Seeing water boiling like that Alka, panicked and scream, “somebody, please douse the fire, otherwise water will burn down, please douse the fire.” Perhaps, at around that very moment Didi [room nanny], who was in charge of that day of midday snacks as well as the kitchen, must have entered the kitchen and asked us to leave, so that, she could do her work quietly.

Teenage or preteens are really funny and interesting phase of our life. We think, we know a lot better than the elder people, around us, but when we reflect back, those incidents brings; unintentional smile on our face, for it being filled with full of stupidity. but more than that it being age of innocence.