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| Mint flavoured Chewing Gum |
“What’s happening”, said
Baba from his room. “Why is Mona crying and throwing tantrums?”
No one wanted to reply, but
Ma had to say something. In all simplicity she said, “Nothing, nothing, this
girl is up to her mischief again.”
Ma looked at Mona and said
in a strict voice but the tone was soft, “Mona, stop crying, let me see what
has happened.”
She pulled Mona near to her
and looked at her messy hair.
All this shouting and crying
had stated after the packet of chewing gum was opened and each one got their
share. The three kids were chewing away their chewing gum and playing with the
toys that had come to them as gifts from their Granny. Suddenly Dipu, the
eldest among the three, who was nine years old started teasing his little
sister. He started running after her shouting “I’ll take out the chewing gum
and stick it to your hair”.
Mona, though a kid was not
the one to keep quiet. She was her dad’s pet and knew she would get all the
support from him even if she made a hue and cry out of nothing. She looked back
at her brother and spoke, “Try it and see what will happen to you,” so saying
she ran away from him.
Gopu, the second one
triggered his brother saying, “Don’t spare her this time, run and stick the
chewing gum to her hair. See the fun after that.”
Dipu ran, caught his little
sister and taking out the chewing gum from his mouth, stuck it to Mona’s hair
near the shoulder. The commotion started, Ma tried her best to clean the gum
but it did not work.
At last it was decided to
call the barber Bhola, who had his hair cutting saloon a couple of yards away
from their home to help them out. Bhola said, “Ma, the chewing gum will not
come out from the hair, the only way out is to crop her hair.”
“I’ll not cut my hair, I’ll
not…” so saying Mona started sobbing. After much consolation and a bribe to buy
her a new frock, she agreed. She got the haircut and it suited her face and she
looked not only different but beautiful too. After the hair cut was done, she
looked into the mirror and smiled. She knew this haircut suited her but was
firm on getting her new frock.
When Baba came out of his
room he looked at his little girl and said, “Mona, you look so pretty, how has
this happened, something different?” He raised his eyebrow but couldn’t find
out the “How” he was talking about.
Just at that moment Dipu
ran up to his Baba and said, “Baba this is the magic of the chewing gum,” and everyone
burst out into laughter.