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The Waiting

by Devika Dileep
(Thiruvananthapuram, India)

Sitting on the couch I looked around impatiently. Time has never passed so slowly. One minute seemed like a year. I was feeling uneasy and restless. ‘Should I wait outside or stay here till they come?’ I asked myself. After a few moments of playing with these doubts, I decided to stay where I was. Minutes elapsed. Again my mind began to wander, searching for things to ponder about, but all of them ended up in one core thought. It struck me then that my life in a few moments would change forever. I forced myself to think of something else and I began to go through the events of the previous week…

It was Monday morning and I was having my ‘Monday breakfast’ as per the routine, ‘bread and butter’ with my friends in the hall. All of a sudden, Miss Miller, usually a quiet soul, came running to me and said that somebody was coming to take me. I got too excited that I couldn’t even eat food for the rest of the days. I began to plan everything, starting from how to treat them to what I should wear when I meet them and many other things. During the nights, I was too happy to sleep but that never made me tired for the days. Nothing could make me weary as I knew that the most extraordinary thing was going to happen in my life… After all those years of waiting I was going to have a family just like my friends in school. Each time I processed this in my mind, a smile replaced the habitual frown on my face…

I decided to wear my favourite denim shorts that were gifted to me by rfather James last Christmas, along with the white T-shirt, which was also a gift from my friend. They had a special feeling to them that I felt a bond

with these pieces of cloth. Next, I focused on what to say to them. Miss Miller told me that there was little girl in the family. So I thought of playing with her and making her laugh. I always longed for a sibling let alone a cute little girl. I couldn’t wait to hear her laugh. I even wrote down lines on a paper like a play with dialogues and all. My friend Tom caught me practicing those dialogues in front of the mirror and we had a huge laugh. He then helped me with everything. The only thing that had a bit of darkness to it was the fact that, I wouldn’t be able to have these kind of moments after a few days…But that thought was long forgotten in the following days as I eagerly waited for the day…
…At last here I am, eagerly waiting in the reception area for those people who would become my mother, father and little sister within the matter of few minutes. I checked my watch; it was sixo’clock exactly, the time they told they would reach. Just then, I heard a car outside and my heart began to beat faster. I was stone struck that I couldn’t move. Miss Miller came rushing and opened the door turned and smiled at me. I couldn’t even smile at her as I couldn’t feel my legs, hands, not even my senses. As she went out to invite them in, I sat still on the couch. A few more moments and everything would change. I heard Miss Miller asking them to come inside and ‘his’ voice in reply saying ‘thank you’. They started walking towards the building, they were nearing to the door and I sensed that in the flash of a second I would see my parents. The ajar door was pushed open and I leaned sideways to see my mother’s face…
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Jul 23, 2018
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by: Your Name:Meera Datta

...no first to walk in was a large man,like the football coach who used to come to teach us. laughing he came in and said'hello son', and lifted me up in his strong arms. i was thrilled and from that height looked down at my mother who was on a wheel chair.sweet,fair pretty she had no legs. she called me to her and hugged me. next came a whirl wind. my sibling tall with a blue frock her hair like an angel's golden locks."Hi you", she said. "You and I are gonna take care of mom aren't we. now get off dads shoulders and let me see how tall you are. you look like a baby to me.' With that loving gesture I left the only home I knew for 5 years. oh the waiting was over.

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