THE CHANGE.
I walked towards the principal’s office after thanking the guard for his help. While reaching, I looked around, little kids were playing around. They looked happy, truly happy and I could say that because they did not have any stress like the teens and adults these days. At least they weren’t pretending to be happy, because they were really happy. A bunch of girls was playing on the slide and a boy had a toy dwarf with which he was pretending to talk. All kids were busy with their own activities. I smiled to myself when I realized that I was already standing in front of the principal’s office.
I knocked on the wooden door.
“Come in” came a pleasant female voice. I entered.
She looked like a lady in her mid-twenties, She wore a loose black t-shirt and blue jeans. She did not wear any make-up, not even lipstick. Rather than any heels or fancy footwear, she had put on simple chalk-white sports shoes. She wore nerd-like glasses and her hair was tied in a tight braid. Both her arms were skinny and she had a tattoo of a wolf on the region under the palm of her right hand. I had seen that tattoo before but couldn’t remember where.
“Please have a seat, sir,” She said extending her left bangled arm indicating me to sit. We talked about teaching, schooling, and my interview and I was done. I stood up to shake hands with her when I saw a board behind that read “Rihana Martin” in block letters.
She stood up and stuck out her right palm forward.
“Rihana,” She said.
“Rihana Martin?” I asked.
“Uh! Yeah,” She said her eyes twinkling with surprise.
I went into a flashback fifteen years ago. Was she really Rihana Martin? We studied in college together. She was a very rich girl who used to be really beautiful, with silky locks of hair dropping down the shoulder, short and costly waist skirts, a lot of make-up and whatnot. Many students of our batch would use to think that she was a goddess because anyone who saw her face would receive good luck. But she was a really cold and bitter person then, she was stubborn and never used to interact with anyone and now I remembered I had seen that tattoo on her hand when she sat beside me in a practical exam.
But, how can she be that Rihana? Now she has completely changed, her simple nerdy looks, and talk made you want to talk to her.
“Ummm..hey, thinking about something?” She asked slightly clapping her palms.
I returned from the flashback and looked at her once more, “Are you that Rihana Martin who was in the science batch at William Paterson University, New York?” I asked curiously.
“Oh my god, yes, do we know each other? Just getting the vibe that I think you know me, do you know me, because I don’t remember you” She said raising her eyebrows.
“We went to college together, I am Niklaus Scrooge if you remember”
“Oh, I do I do, well nice to meet you, Nicklaus,” she said smiling, her two dimples popping from the sides.
I asked her about her change and she asked me that if I was free, which I was, so she asked me to sit back down and narrated her story-
As a child, I wasn’t raised by my own parents you know. I had a ton of servants. My parents both were busy looking after our family business. I barely saw them. I got whatever I asked for. In school, every kid hated me and this continued till college. After I completed my education, I literally did not know what I had to do, what my ambition was, what was going to be my career. The kids at my age had already decided and were already at high posts like Director, Surgeons, Scientists and I was sitting in my room wondering what I will do for my living. A year passed and I was jobless, my parents decided to give my family business to my elder brother Joe who asked me if I would like to lend him a hand, but I wasn’t interested in commerce, that was not my forte. I needed a break from this silly life, I was living. When I saw this ad on my tv, it was about tourism.
I quickly opened my pc and visited their site. I saw this beautiful picture of a Monument under which it was written India, besides it was many other countries like Paris, Brahmanas, and others, but I don’t know why I got a unique feeling about India. I decided to escape this life and start fresh again. I booked my ticket and left for India, immediately the next week.
Boy! Was I right about India, it was indeed very unique, like a very very unique place. It had everything- good food, fresh air, mainly a pleasant vibe. But this is where my life took a turning point.
I saw the people around there. They were all just chill and happy with their lives unlike me. I saw an old lady dressed in rags who was feeding two kittens pieces of flatbread and she was really poor but still happy. She looked satisfied as she sat on the road outside her little hut feeding those tiny creatures. They had this different habit of accepting each other. They were all simple and sweet. After coming back from India, I felt why was I just wasting my life when there is a lot of things to enjoy. I realized that life wasn’t really so bad, it was the way we live it.
So, I decided to find my own style, which I realized was better to be simple and pleasant. I decided to go to Yoga and meditation sessions, and don’t ask but I started finding joy in every little thing, like rain, butterflies, music, and whatnot. By this, I had also decided what I had to do in life. I decided to take up teaching and taught science in this school for three years and I got the post of principal. I myself wasn’t able to believe that I was able to do this. I like myself, the way I am and I don’t really care about what the world says. I am twenty-two now and I am happily married. Mainly I am happy with my life and I don’t expect anything more from it. I just pray to god before bed thanking him for everything.
She sighed and blushed.
“Happy to hear that!” I said smiling. She stood up once again and said “Hope you get the job of a teacher, I wish you all the best!”
“yeah,” I said shaking hands and then I once again looked at her and said-
“I like your style too, stay like that”
“I know right, I like it too,” She said smirking and going back to work as I exited the place.
A/N: Hello raspberries! After a long time writing a story, hope you all like it. Happy reading!. Loads of love, Ruhee💖🍒
