It was one of those rush morning hours. Me and my friend D were trying to squeeze into one office shuttle bus. Using our back packs and elbows we cleared our way in. The bus was already full. We stood or hung ourselves to the rod, throwing scornful look on those who were sitting comfortably. How dare those men could sit while we, the ladies, stood. I know, it was one of those convenient double standards we, the females, take. We shout for equality and at the same time fight for reservation.
Among the drooping faces and dozing heads, we saw one gleeful smile. I noticed the smile first and then the smiler, for there was a reason. The smile was different. No, actually the teeth were different. There were braces and the owner was our friend P. She was one of those rare girls who smiled from the heart. So she had newly put braces on her teeth and that was the reason for that radiant smile.
After alighting from the bus, I enquired her about the new embellishment. Her dentist told her that her gums were in great trauma and to put an end to that she would need set her teeth right.
D raised her eyebrows and asked, “Gums in trauma?”. Seemed like she could not imagine gums in agony or she did not like the word trauma.
Anyway, "how much did it cost you", I asked.
"25K".
"Oh", gasped both me and D.
"Actually it would have cost only 15K, but I liked this white enamel one, So it costs more", explained P.
Later during our lunch session, we were all immersed in some gossip, P leapt out of her seat and rushed towards the wash room. “What happened”, we asked.
“I think, I lost my 25,000”, she cried back while running. Faces turned around at us. She had accidently chewed one chicken bone and heard a sound like steel crushing. She came back with a smile of relief and we realized that the 25K is still intact.
This reminded me of one of my neighbors.
Our neighbor Mani and his wife Ambi were from labour class family, a small happy family. Mani would work in many of the neighborhood lands and fields to earn his living.
Around 15 years back, one glorious day, they won a lottery of Rs 5 lakhs. Our town people had enough to talk about for another year or more. We all mused on the various ways they would be spending the money. My Papa told us a story about one of his villagers who won a lottery. He would go to cinema theatre at midnight, ask them to run a show all for himself and pay for the entire seats.
Well, our lucky couple Mani and Ambi were prudent enough. They started one timber business, bought some coconut farms and then one special gift to Ambi... Braces for her teeth.
The neighborhood ladies including my mother did not like it at all. A lady nearing 40 wearing braces!!! Undoubtedly it was the most snobbish act in their eyes, to display her newly acquired wealth.
To be frank, I could never believe that Ambi was so beautiful when she set her teeth right.
