Krutika Bhojwani, Class X E
I was picking up my books when I heard a knock at the door. I went and to my surprise it was our aged neighbor whom we all referred to as ‘grandpa’. I welcomed him and we both sat chatting. After about 15 minutes, he asked me, ‘Dear, could you do me a favour, please?’ I replied with a smile, ‘You need not ask, just tell me and I’ll do it.’
He smiled and then handed me a paper and a pen. He said, ‘You know my wife and I are illiterate, so could you please write something for us on this paper? Write something nice, something that you might say to your mother.’
For an instance I did not understand anything but before I could even ask him, he warned me not to ask anything and so, I wrote a small poem on the paper and gave it to him. He thanked me and left me still wondering what it was all about.
And then the other day, I was out for an evening walk and on the way I noticed on old woman – grandpa’s wife, sitting under a tree. She was reading a letter and had a soft smile on her face. Didn’t grandpa say that they both could not read or write. I went to her and greeted her. She looked at me and tears rolled down her eyes. I asked her what the matter was and why she was crying.
Wiping her tears, she said, ‘My son, who is abroad has sent me this letter and poor me, I cannot even read it. It has been two years since he left and I have been trying to touch the words and feel how he has been.
I smiled and said, ‘Give it me and I’ll read it to you.’
As I took the paper, I realized that it was the same paper that I had written that poem on. I understood everything. I pretended to read out something I felt a mother’s heart wanted to hear.
