Proma Nautiyal

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time · 0 ·

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The Boy Who Sold Balloons

The Boy Who Sold Balloons


00ba8ffa.jpg                                                                                    Image Source: imgrum.co

I guess he sits there by the side of the road, every alternate day of the week or so, with a bunch of balloon threads hanging loosely from his hands. I will never forget those pensive eyes and that confident smile. He must have been about 8 years old. 

It was one of those weekends when you don't know what you really want to do, so you just take your car and start driving. We live about half an hour away from the heart of our nation's capital, Delhi. Connaught Place, CP as it is popularly called, happens to be the perfect place to hangout. With a plethora of eating options and hangout joints, it is definitely a place you would want to be in, especially if you are a social bee.

However, the incident I am talking about happened just a few minutes before we reached CP. We were taking our usual route through the national highway and were about to approach Delhi, when we stopped at the traffic signal.  

For some weird reason I always feel hungry whenever I am in a car. So I always carry a bag of chips with me. I was munching on them when the car came to a halt.

It is a usual thing in India to find vendors selling their wares to passengers in cars that have stopped at the signal. Some sell snacks, other sell books, and there are some who sell toys. They are extremely persistent. They will even try to sell things that you already own and keep showing them proof of it by holding the object in front of their eyes. So as a practice, we keep our window panes up. 

There I saw him. A boy, roughly about 8 years old. Actively looking for customers who would buy a balloon from him. The signal window gives only a 2-3 minute span for him to make at least one sale and ensure that he gets the money in his hand before the customer drives off. I always thought it was dangerous, especially for a young kid. 

He whizzed fast through the standing cars, tapping on each pane with an enthusiastic smile on his face that would perhaps, make someone buy a balloon. But it didn't happen. Soon he was tapping on my window. 

The boy, I now got an up close look at his innocent face and earnest smile. He was wearing a white tattered shirt and blue shorts in the same condition. It looked more like a hand-me-down school uniform which definitely did't belong to him. He did not go to school. He worked for a living. He was barefoot. In that sweltering heat which might have made the concrete roads unbearably hot, he was standing on that road, barefoot. 

He tapped the window pane with his hand twice, and then he tapped it with the blue balloon. I suffer from globophobia. I am extremely scared of balloons. I don't know why, but that's the truth. But that face, made me pull down the pane. He looked into the car to see if there are any kids present (prospective customers), I was not yet a mom then, so it was just me and my husband. He still asked me if I would like to buy a balloon. While I said not really, the packet of chips made a crunching noise and I saw him quickly looking at it but taking his eyes away as soon as he could. He was hungry. My heart wrenched. I offered him some chips, but he politely declined. 

I wanted to help this boy, so I offered him money for two balloons, but said I would not actually take the balloons. He looked at me confused. An 8 year old, hungry, barefoot, and utterly confused. He told me that he would only accept the money if I would take the balloons that I am paying for. No alms, only a respectable sale. I got his point loud and clear. If it was a sale he wanted, I would help him with that. 

My heart beating loudly, I pulled in the 2 balloons through the window and handed him the money. He smiled a big and bright smile and walked away. I kept hoping he would buy and eat a pack of chips or biscuits, something, so that he can continue with his arduous task.  I really hope he did.

Throughout the rest of the drive, I didn't feel hungry anymore. I kept thinking about the little boy and of the scary balloons floating around in the backseat. As soon as we reached CP, I took those balloons out and soon I found the perfect people for them. A couple of street children playing by the roadside. They were very happy to get those two balloons and their warm smile made my day.



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Comments

Proma Nautiyal

6 years ago #2

#1
Thank you so much, Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess for reading it.

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