The Playground : Collection of Short Stories

Nine

Written for 'writing prompt' #28 by ChickLit

Word count: 902

***

Kala knew she should've just bought trinkets instead of these giant gifts that were currently swallowing her tiny car. She breathed hard as she struggled to fit in one last box on the roof. The rope holding the boxes was quite thin and she wasn't sure if it would hold the gifts for too long. She should've listened to her father who begged her to get a bigger car after she got promoted at her job. She, however, saw it as waste of her hard earned money, especially since her car was still in mint condition. 

Soon after she finished tying up all the boxes to the roof, she got into her car and drove off. It was difficult, especially with one particular box at the back seat constantly poked her shoulder. She decided to simply focus on driving to her destinations. She was late anyway had to reach before any one of them would wake up. It was a hectic journey, but she couldn't wait to surprise them. After all, they were her 'support system'.

Kala was seventeen when she was diagnosed with depression. Actually, she was pretty sure she was under depression ever since she had turned thirteen, when her parents decided that someone as brilliant as her would thrive in a private school instead of her current one. Private schools in her city were hard to get in. Hence, Kala felt proud of the fact that her parents thought that she was worthy of it. She couldn't wait to live her dream.

However, it was nothing like how she had imagined. Her first problem came in the form of a girl named Tina, who introduced herself in impeccable English. Kala was utterly speechless. Of course she knew English, just not well enough to carry out a proper conversation. Her previous school, although had English as a medium of instruction, thrived mostly on the local language. She couldn't even remember speaking in English with her friends, or even the teachers. 

Another issue she faced was money, or the lack of it. Kala's family came from a modest middle class background. They didn't have much, but there was enough to have a good life without constantly living hand-to-mouth. She couldn't afford Chanel No. 5, but her classmates could. She couldn't afford to shop from Zara, but her classmates could. She couldn't afford to visit Starbucks every weekend for a get together, but her classmates could. 

She was in a school for rich and refined, without her being either of them. She didn't feel like she could ever belong to them. She knew she was deteriorating day by day, but didn't know what to do. Her grades dropped, her relationships with her loved ones suffered, and she felt that she had no one to help her. This went on and she continued to suffer in silence till she turned seventeen, and almost failed her class. 

Her parents had had enough and forced her to see a therapist, for which she would always be grateful. It took her a year, but she could feel that she was starting to get better. She reconnected with her two best friends, Mina and Sheila, from the public school, who cried with her when she told them her story. She fell in love with a boy, Ayan, from her neighbourhood who was like her personal cheerleader. her little brother, just six at that time, spent most of his time playing with her. She joined a local music club and she quickly became Mr. Ray's, her music tutor, 'ray of sunshine'. Moreover, on her eighteenth birthday, just a week before she was about to leave for college, her parents gifted her a puppy so that she wouldn't feel too lonely in a new city. She named him 'Racer', because he was too active and playful.

They were her nine pillars of support. 

A smile appeared on her face as she remembered all those people who helped her through her tough times. It has been six years since then, and she was better than ever, if not completely recovered. She felt like a new person, and she knew that without them, she wouldn't have made it so far. She quickly scanned through her list - she had already delivered eight gifts. Only one was left. She could see the sun rising and knew she roughly had an hour before everyone would wake up. Without wasting any time, she quickly started her car and made her way to her therapist's office.

***

"Why are there pink boxes at our doorstep? Did you order anything?" a rough yet gentle voice asked Mithila, who was busy brewing tea. She looked at her husband, confused, and shook her head. However, by then, he had already bought in the huge boxes inside. 

"Look, this one is for me!" he said in a childlike voice. She managed to take a peek at the label that said 'For Dad', before her husband ripped off the wrapper like it was his birthday. Mithila saw another box, one much smaller than her husband's, sitting quietly on the coffee table. However, what caught her eye was the yellow envelope tucked neatly underneath the box. She opened it and found a letter addressed to her.

Dear Mom,

You must be wondering why am I suddenly buying you gifts, since it's neither your birthday nor you wedding anniversary. Do you remember what date is it today? It's alright if you don't, but today was the day you first sent me to the therapy, and today was the day when I finally started to rediscover myself. You have no idea what you did - you saved me. 

Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being my mom. I can't wait to see you!

Also, Racer says 'Hello'!

Love,

Kala