Lotus Eyes

[This refers to a boy of four whom I met at my in-laws' place during my vacation in India. The kid touched my heart.]


His name means "One who is lotus eyed". His eyes were wide and unpretentious. True to his name, they were as merry as a full-bloomed lotus. At least they sure filled my heart with refreshing delight. He clung to the gate outside the house in the backyard. His tiny body seemed to twist and turn and align with the curvy black and white S-shaped grills on the gate.

He had skin as brown as coffee beans. His body toasted under the tropical sun all day. If you looked closely you could see grains of shiny sand caught in the nooks underneath his little toe nails. His black hair was well-groomed for a boy of his age and he wore clean clothes, which were usually dull brown shorts and a buttoned shirt that had squarish patterns on it.

He waited for his mother to get done with her work, and he played under the coconut and guava trees, waiting for someone to come along whom he could invite to join in his games. As I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, my eyes caught this little fella. I said "Hi!" He smiled back and ran from the trees to the gate, closer to where I was. We had our little chit-chat. We introduced ourselves to each other and made an interesting conversation about what games he liked to play and how he played them.

He then invited me to play a game of Hide and Seek. He was to hide behind the coconut tree and I was to find him. After about five minutes of running around the house I "finally" found him behind the tree and one round of the game was over.

Then, since we were friends I offered him a couple of American chocolates from the goodie pile I had taken with me. Much to my surprise, he didn't grab them eagerly or devour them at once. He took them happily, and smiled back, in a dignified manner, way beyond his years. He had no expectation and no greed, nor any jealousy for the well-bred kids of the rich folk, who not only got their timely fill of Cadbury and Hershey candies, but also played with remote controlled electronic cars and solved colorful jigsaw puzzles. This was one simple child who had no longing in his eyes, in spite of his mother earning just enough to make both ends meet, and inspite of his wearing clothes that were almost always hand-me-downs. He was happy for what he got, and showed his appreciation without restrain.

It was time for me to fly back, and the day before I was to leave, I played a little more with him before saying goodbye. I heard that he had been admitted to Kindergarten and would start in a year's time. I left home, mumbling to myself, "So long, Lotus Eyes, I'll see you soon. I hope when I come back you're a big boy who can spell three-letter words and count from one to a hundred"!