The Pink Swimsuit

Mashuk is a seven year old boy. At the moment he is one of the people who have a hill of anxiety and embarrassment, trying to balance it. Just now he had opened the pack of his new swimsuit. He was expecting a blue swimsuit but it turned out to be a pink one. He wonders how will he move out from the changing room and walk towards the diving board. He is so embarrassed. Already he is being teased about his crooked smile, too big spectacles, skinny frame and stammering voice. But he can’t order another one because he understands the condition in which he and his 3 sisters live with their only mother. He thinks not to go at pool tomorrow, but tomorrow’s competition was important to him. If he wins, he will win a handsome prize which can help his family. He will handle it somehow.

Next day he gears up courage and wears the swimsuit, but as he was walking to pool he could hear loads of nasty remarks.

“Oh! See that pink boy.”

“That stammer chap!”

“Looks as if the swimsuit is hanging on his shoulders!”

Gradually his steps became small and his legs heavy with humiliation. He was becoming a burden for his own body. But he had to move on .So there he stood at the starting point of race. He knew, he was not the best swimmer of his school, but he needed to win the race, the money would be of great help. So he stood there soaked in his own thoughts.

Soon the coach instructed, ”Ready, Set, Go!”

With a great splash all the participants jumped in water, except Mashuk. The tall coach with a stooping moustache saw this and hastened towards him.”Come on, Mashuk go swim. Just close your ears to what others are saying and jump in. You have practiced hard, you can still do it. Trust me Mashuk the people who are commenting at your pink swimsuit right now will hold you on their shoulders when you win.” Said the coach in the background of comments passed by onlookers.

Now with a new hope he jumped in the water swam. Not thinking about anybody else but the smile he could put on his mother’s face by winning. And when he reached the end of the pool, he was not sure whether he was the last or was the first as he could see nobody in front of him. He thought that maybe all the others have swam and went to the dressing rooms but as he looked backwards, he was rhapsodic as he saw that nobody had still reached the end of the pool. And he was a winner.

Since that everybody, even boys fancied a pink swimsuit as they believed that it was the swimsuit which made Mashuk win! But only Mashuk knew that it was because of his coach and the smile of his mother.