When I was a child and started going to 2nd standard in school which would means I was roughly 7 years old. The circumstances forced me to grow up and take responsibility of my own self plus my younger sister. There was someone to look after my baby sis when mom and dad were at work but somehow I was an adult who could take care of herself. I would walk from bus stop where the school bus would drop all kids to home alone and would open the lock of our three story house.

I was scared of the ground floor as we all only lived on the first floor and ground floor was locked for months hence I would open the main door and sprint on the staircase to reach our first floor house. Then those baby fingers would undress, wash hands and legs, and happily fluster across the house to look for that “lunch box” mommy used to pack for me. It was an old fashioned warm lunch box which mom brought from her foreign country trip and its top cabinet always had something special – a note from mom.

It would read almost the same on each day –

Dear Daughter,

I made your favorite vegetable, Finish the food and complete your homework. Honey, take care of yourself.  Mumma will be home soon baby girl.

Mumma.

And I did not feel any loneliness after reading that letter. I would be a nice child who finishes all the vegetables in that box, work on my homework and take a nap. Always I would wake from my nap by my mom’s warm hands on my forehead when she would return from work early evening with my sister who would lit up the entire house with her laughter and naughty tantrums.

Why am I being nostalgic today?

Well, this year has been a year when a good number of people have told me that I am unlike anyone else and that I am someone who can understand people in a way not many can and I got to thinking that I am what I am because of the life I have lead and because of the hard balls and happy turns life has shown me.

So I was thinking that when all my fellow kids from school were getting picked by parents, I was standing in front of our house and opening a big lock from my tiny hands not to mention that I was looking forward to spending that time with myself.

Even today, I would choose sitting alone VS in crowd. Prefer eating vegetables over Pizza. Have acceptance only one type of loud voices- my sisters.

We are what we are made of. I am proud of me. Whatever I maybe.