At Mia’s orphanage home
“My kite is broken now, go away” one of the kids around 3 years old was scolding another, who was almost the same age as her. She had been flying her kite when the kids bumped into her and the kite crashed into a tree.
Mia watched as the two kids fought over a small issue and she wondered why such a trivial issue could cause a disagreement in the first place.
“I’ll help you get your kite down and I’ll fix it as well” Mia offered, fixing her eyes on the floor.
“No go away, you aren’t wanted” the owner of the kite chased her. Mia still didn’t listen, she used a stick to try and bring down the kite but she created a hole in it in the process.
The little girl burst into tears and went to report Mia to one of the staff.
“Why did you even do that? She asked you not to and yet you went ahead. So you are stubborn and weird?” The lady scolding Mia raised an eyebrow.
Mia, who was being scolded, wasn’t paying attention, she was trying to fix the little girl’s kite but she couldn’t. She ended up making a new one for the little girl who had already gone to sleep. Unable to talk to her the next morning, Mia decides to leave the kite next to her on the bed.
The next morning Mia was ready for school and on her way to school she met Lakshmi who immediately made her driver stop the vehicle so Mia could get in. Mia declined and Lakshmi came down from the car.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to get in the car, we can both walk” Lakshmi used her hand to support her school bag that was strapped to her back.
“You don’t need to walk, your parents own a car plus your driver is still driving behind us” Mia looked in the opposite direction while she talked to Lakshmi who didn’t even listen to her.
“Fine, let’s go in your car” Mia shook her head as she noticed Lakshmi was already getting tired from the long walk and she had begun to sweat. The school wasn’t anywhere close, it was still far ahead and Mia didn’t want Lakshmi clothes to get wet from her sweat.
“Finally thank goodness” Lakshmi said as she finally caught her breath and drank some water.
“Is this how you go to school everyday?” Lakshmi was still very tired.
“Yes” Mia was looking outside the window.
“If I went to school like this everyday I’m sure I would sleep half of the day in school. I’m so exhausted and I didn’t walk for a good 5 minutes” Lakshmi placed her palm on her chest and breathed out as she nodded her head sideways.
“I wasn’t used to it at first but as time went by I got used to it. If you continue then you will also get used to it” Mia’s voice was gentle and she was still looking out the window.
“Well thank you very much for your advice but I don’t intend to make this a habit. Plus this habit of yours should also stop, where do you live so I can come pick you in the morning and drop you later after school?” Lakshmi offered.
“No thank you” Mia got up from her seat and sat back down again very quickly.
“Okay then I guess I will just have to wait around that place I saw you earlier, everyday until I see you walking on the road so I can pick you up” Lakshmi shrugged and she knew Mia was going to give in to her request sooner or later.
“I live in the orphanage that isn’t too far from where you picked me” Mia shrugged with her palm facing the roof of the car.
“What? ” Lakshmi was shocked. She knew Mia was poor but she didn’t know she had no parents, Lakshmi could only pity Mia and wondered what it was like for her to be in such a situation. Lakshmi hugged Mia so tightly, Mia didn’t hug her back she didn’t know how to reciprocate love. Finally they arrived at school and Mia almost didn’t want to step out of the car.
“But Mia, we have to get to class or we will miss today’s lesson,” Lakshmi was trying to drag Mia’s hand out of the car.
“But people will see me coming down from your car. I don’t want them to make fun of me or you as well” Mia was hiding her face behind a notebook she brought out from her school bag.
“Firstly Mia by now you should be used to people making fun of you and it really shouldn’t bother you by now and secondly Mia no one would even dare to say anything bad about me, I will beat hell into such a person now get out of the car” Lakshmi rested her hand one her waist and she was being a little harsh at this point.
Mia grabbed her school bag and was still hiding her face behind the notebook
“Oh for goodness sake Mia, they know it’s you” Lakshmi rolled her eyes and shut the door, the driver drove off and both girls walked into school.
Lakshmi kept on nodding her head sideways with a disappointed face as Mia refused to remove the book from her face, Lakshmi had just enough so she flung the book in the hallway, it scared Mia a lot.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me, why did you throw my book away?” Mia looked at her and Lakshmi was very mad then Mia lowered her face.
“I threw your book because I know it’s just your jotter and I wanted to stop you from making yourself a laughing stock. ” Lakshmi went to get Mia’s notebook and handed it over to her, before adjusting her school bag and going to get her textbook from her locker.
All the students came out of their classrooms for recess when they noticed all the flyers and posters, the school was going to have a dance competition which needed 3 to 4 student as participants for each dance group and it was going to be in 3 weeks time so the students had enough time to practice whatever they were going to display on that very day.
“Oh my gosh Mia, we are definitely joining this” Lakshmi took one of the flyers.
“But I can’t,” Mia said.
“But why?” Lakshmi lowered her eyebrows.