“2 X 4 eees? What is 2 X 4 Tara? Tara!” Chitra Miss’s voice echoed in a distant resonance. Tara counted her fingers and wondered how a 2 x a 4 could not be 6, and gradually her gaze would take a stroll towards the blue eyed Barbie doll twinkling through the transparent bag that came along everyday to school with Lulu, the fat girl with round glasses sitting in the first row.
“A very silent, obedient child Madam, I haven’t really seen her up to any mischief, very neat classwork and anyone would guess her to be the studious one but deceptive! I’m surprised seeing her scores in maths! She stares back at me and takes a full two minutes to answer a simple multiplication table!” Chitra Miss would go on and on, she loved talking as much as she loved math, and complaining. Mrs. Subramanian, Tara’s mother, had to go through this ordeal term after term, yet she would take great pride in holding her six year old’s hand, walking in and out of each of the teacher’s staff room. This had become a ritual, the parent teacher meeting at Tara’s school, chatting with her teachers and other mothers.
“If you score 10 out of 10 in your next math test, I will buy you a barbie doll” her mother would say after every such meeting with her teachers, and Tara would blithely walk away, knowing her 2 and 4 tables were never going to fetch her a doll.
Back at her desk next day, Tara’s eyes were again focused on the doll inside Lulu’s bag “Why does she have to bring the doll to school every day ?” “Does she know the 3 tables too?” “Can I not play with it?” Tara’s thoughts were resolute and a constant, unlike her multiplication tables. Her deep brown eyes had developed a longing and love for the doll that was not hers or never were to be hers.
Tara would stare at the doll every day in silence and Lulu, through her round glasses would stare back at Tara and pull up the transparent bag closer to her. The girls never spoke to each other however there was no air of enmity. It was a strange but stoic exchange of affability. Lulu’s elder sister would come to pick her from school every day and Tara would wait to watch her leave, clutching the transparent bag until they got into their black Ambassador car. She would then run to her mother waiting by the banyan tree and hop her way back home.
Today, she suddenly could not bear to sit in the classroom anymore. At the gong of the bell, she rushed out of the room and walked into the long corridor that led to the school’s biggest banyan tree, hoping to find her aayamma. The rain was still beating down on the ground, the peculiar kind of sweat that blossoms on one’s skin, the kind that only rain could bring out, started running down the back of her neck.
Tara’s eyes were in search of her only friend ‘aayamma’ at school. Aayamma was busy washing utensils at the school canteen when she saw little Tara toddling past the door. She quickly washed her hands and followed the girl, “Tara kutty? Where are you off to?” Aayamma raced up and managed to get a hold of her. “Tara ma?” and that was it, all it took was that caring touch and attention that brought out the tiny tear trickle out of Tara’s brown eyes. The little girl silently pointed at her classroom back in the corridor with the tear still making way. Aayamma understood the long-time longing of the little girl that had finally gate crashed through her eyes. She cajoled her and carried her back to the classroom and by then it was time to go home. Tara’s mother was waiting to pick her up near the big banyan tree.
Tara had remained silent and patient enough to admire the Barbie doll from a distance for almost an entire term, until today.
Parents and a lot more elders had arrived to pick up their children from the school and this time Lulu’s sister was waiting near the banyan tree chatting with Tara’s mother. Lulu was taking time to pack her bag and Tara was already heading to her mother, and yet wanted to do her ritual of waiting to watch them leave. But today, Tara’s mother was in a hurry to get back home and so the little girl had to part with today’s sighting of her beloved doll.
Tara would usually change into her pajamas and sat to finish her homework as soon as she reached home, but today, she was in no mood for anything and chose to walk up the stairs to the terrace.
Tara settled in a corner at the terrace and was gazing at the tall trees around her home. The tiny trickles from her eyes were back, but this time not so tiny. She could hear her mother call her “Tara!! Where are you ? Come down now” and the little girl glumly went back down.
“The yellow bag is for you and don’t forget to finish your milk soon! I need to go to the grocer”
Tara showed no interest to bother about any bag. However, the shiny yellow bag invited her attention and she could see a newly packed box inside the bag. She forced herself to pick it up and found a tall box. A transparent box, and gleaming though the box was a blue eyed pretty Barbie doll with a pink dress and pink shoes.
Tara knew no limits to her happiness and screamed with joy, the tears now sprung out like a waterfall that was withheld for ages. She ran into the kitchen looking for her mother. “Ammmaaaaaaaa” and not finding her at home she ran outside, into the street and raced with all her might finally bumping into her mother at the grocer.
“Tara, what are you doing here?I told you to finish the milk, did you?”
But Tara paid no heed to anything about the milk and jumped around hugging the doll.
The bell rang and a happy little Tara walked briskly into the classroom holding her new doll. Beaming with pride, as the owner of a blue eyed Barbie doll that was now only hers, Tara smiled at Lulu for the first time. She carefully placed the doll close to her desk and looked for Lulu’s transparent bag. There was an orange lunch bag instead, at the same spot.
Tara looked at Lulu, but this time it was not a stare, she was no longer worried for the transparent bag as she had got her own package of happiness.
Lulu, through her round glasses, looked back at Tara, and smiled.
Katha 