The Lady Bird

After an exciting and fun filled holiday at the village, Spoorthi and her parents came back to town. 

They took an auto back home. As they arrived home Krishna who was lurking in a corner saw Spoorthi and ran to the main road. Spoorthi was so glad to see her pet cat after a long time. She picked him up and started playing on the road. Her mother told her to get into the house and then she could play, but she refused and ran around the corridor while Krishna chased the edge of the scarf she held out.

It was already late in the evening when they had come. Spoorth's mom quickly prepared curd rice for dinner. Spoorthi, father sat down in the balcony as the moon lit the clear skies and ate the delicious meal. Spoorthi lazed around after the dinner and recollected all the games they played during holidays, daily errands with ajji, bathing on the banks of the canal etc. Spoorthi hoped that the school year finished again fast and she can get back to visit Thatha and Ajji. Murali her best friend in the village used to take her around in his bicycle and she was simply fascinated by this. Spoorthi ran out to her parents room as his father was chewing the beetle nut. She pleaded her father to buy her a bicycle. Her father refused and told her that she was too small and also didn't know to cycle yet, promised her to buy next year. Disappointed she went to bed and made her mind that she will learn to cycle and show her father.

There was still a week left before school reopened. She had to make the days count. Early in the day, the door bell rang. Spoorthi opened the door and a young boy stood outside. Mother enquired who was at the door, Spoorthi signalled the boy asking who was he?.. the boy leaned over the door and told her mother that he was Ranga, the milkman's son and he had come to deliver milk as his father was not well. Mother came out with the vessel and he poured the milk. Spoorthi as she stood there noticed that the boy had come in a bicycle. She was feeling envious of Ranga and thought he was so lucky. Spoorthi asked Ranga how much was the bicycle. Ranga told her that it was not his own bicycle but was rented out for one hour so that he can deliver the milk. Spoorthi was excited.. she never thought that the bicycle could be rented. She extended her hands to Ranga asking if they can be friends. Ranga also didn't have many friends and agreed. "Can you teach me how to ride the bicycle ?" immediately asked Spoorthi. Ranga told her he would but she has to rent the bicycle and she should get ten rupees for rent. They agreed to meet in front of the temple next to colony at 4pm.

Spoorthi now had the challenge to arrange the money. She never had dealt with money before. She went around the house wondering what she can do to get the money. Lots of thoughts ran through her head like what if she gave her doll in exchange for the rent? She finally decided to ask her father. Spoorthi's father was getting ready, he sat in veranda with a mirror in one hand and razor blade in other as he carefully shaved. Spoorthi stood in front of him and wondered what to say. Sensing her hesitation his father asked what she wanted and that he was getting late. Spoorthi asked him for ten rupees and told him she wanted to buy something. She did not want to reveal that she would use the money to rent the bicycle. Spoorthi had never asked him anything before. As he was in a hurry, he called out Spoorthi's mother and asked her to give her the money. Spoorthi was so happy and hugged him and ran to the kitchen where mother was doing her errands. Spoorthi put her hand out and demanded that she be given the money. Her mother shooed her off saying she was busy with her work and to come later after they had breakfast.

This waiting seemed like a long day. She cuddled Krishna and eagerly looked towards the kitchen for mother to finish her work and to serve the breakfast. Spoorthi was telling Krishna that nobody understood her excitement and wished that atleast he could talk to her. Mother came out from the kitchen and started scolding Spoorthi that she had become lazy and asked to go wash hands as she was holding the cat. Spoorthi finished the upma hurriedly which used to be normally a lengthy affair. Again she put out her hand and asked for the money. Mother told her that she should would give her the money but she has to earn it by doing some work at home. Her mother took her to the study room and showed her how messy the table was. She asked her to tidy up and come back to her. Spoorthi hated to clean up but now she had to do this so that she gets the money. She reluctantly picked up the news paper, her drawing books and colour pencils. She placed them in the drawer of the cupboard and wiped the desk clean. After lunch she also helped her mother to keep the washed utensils in the kitchen. Her mother was very happy, gave her ten rupees and what she wanted this for. Spoorthi screamed in excitement that it was a surprise and ran out of the house.

Spoorthi arrived at the temple, it was an old hanuman temple. The hanuman was carved out of a boulder years ago and some believed that it was an udbhava murthy the one that appeared on its own as a miracle. Lot of people used to visit the temple and came from across the country to seek blessings of the Hanuman. Spoorthi went inside the temple and prayed for her to get enough strength and skills to learn riding bicycle.

She came out and asked many people passing by for the time. She was there an hour early and waited for Ranga to come. Finally, Ranga came as promised and he asked her if she had got the money. Spoorthi very carefully had kept the money tied to her ribbon and showed the crumpled note to Ranga. Both walked towards the market road where a bicycle repair and rental shop was run by an elderly Rehman chacha. At the shop there were many bicycles of varying sizes and colours. One cycle caught Spoorthi's eyes immediately, lady Bird a bright pink cycle at the corner of the shop. They asked Rehman chacha if they could rent the bicycle. Rehman chacha told them that he would charge them five rupees as deposit and five rupees as rent for an hour. This was a good start as she had managed to get ten rupees from her mother. Ranga had also managed to get ten rupees from his father. He rented a hercules black cycle.

Both pushed the cycles and reached the government school playground which was next to the colony. It was empty as the school was closed for holiday. Few stray dogs and sheep wandered around the ground. Ranga parked his cycle under the Banyan tree. He held her bicycle and asked Spoorthi to climb from the front. Slowly she climbed to the edge of the seat and leaning forward held the handle bars. Ranga asked her to peddle the cycle as he hold it from the back. Suddenly she was feeling very scared and could not hear anything that Ranga was telling her. She peddled a couple of times, stopped and fell to her left. As Spoorthi fell she brushed her ankle against a stone. This made a small cut and started to bleed. Spoorthi had not seen anything like this and started crying profusely. Ranga immediately picked her up and tried to console her. Spoorthi continued wailing in pain. Ranga suggested that they return the bicycle and try another day. After a few minutes of crying she stopped as she was determined to learn. She wanted to her father to see her cycling. Requested Ranga to help her, he this time held the seat in right hand and the handle bar on the left after she climbed the bicycle. He ran with the bicycle as she now managed to start peddle. They slowly went around the ground once, Spoorthi now starting to feel the bicycle peddled faster and Ranga left the handle bar first and still held onto the seat. He encouraged her to peddle faster, Spoorthi was now picking up speed and balance. She asked Ranga not to let go of her as she feared that she may fall again. They went around for a few rounds of the playground. Ranga after ten rounds was now tired of running with the bicycle, he unknowingly let go of the bicycle and stopped. To his surprise Spoorthi went on further not knowing that Ranga was no longer behind her. After around 100 meters she was talking and realised that Ranga was not responding. She turned and saw him waving towards her. Spoorthi was thrilled, she had managed to learn to ride on the first day of her adventure. It was getting late and was also about time when her father comes home. 

Ranga picked up his hercules cycle, Spoorthi her pink lady Bird cycle and went towards the colony. As they were at the entrance Spoorthi saw her parents who were waiting outside the house. They both were waiting there for sometime worried as Spoorthi had never left the colony on her own. Spoorthi's mother was at once angry but the father had mixed emotions. One side he was mad that she had ventured out without informing but was also happy seeing his little daughter riding bicycle on her own. They scolded both Ranga and Spoorthi for not informing about them going out, her mother was particularly mad after seeing clothes dirty. Her father hugged and kissed her. He promised to get her the bicycle for her birthday. Spoorthi jumped in joy!!! Ranga was happy to have a new friend.