Celebration Day for Tama

4. Loss

Tama wakes up. He got nightmare last night. In the dream hes was extremely sad. Hes chanted many times, but what hes wanted, did not come up. Then a voice whispered him that hes had to pray to end hir sadness.

Tama is sitting, remembering hir dream.

The voice last night came because hir heart is hurt. This is something painful, though there is no injury on hir body. Hes decides to pray.

So far Tama knows how people pray. Hes has been countless time observing them praying in various holy places. Hes has seen people standing, bowing, prostrating, kneeling down, sitting by crossing legs, making cross symbol on the chest, joining their both palms or raising the both hands. Those people talk to God in different way.

Tama then prays as well.

At the early morning Tama gets up. Hes jumps up to the head of the truck loading vegetables. He faces the sun that rising. Hes then bows, but after a while hes is confused about what hes should say. Finally hes is just silent.

In the time between morning and noon, in front of trees and many plants with flowers, hes makes cross symbol in front of the chest and then bend each other hir palms.

At noon, before hes has hir first meal, hes joins hir both palms. Hir eyes close for a while.

In the late afternoon, hes is in the middle of field, with both hands hes is seen holding a lit incense stick.

Night comes. Before sleeping, Tama raises his hands. In hir sleeping Tama says something, "God, God, God...."

*******

Some nights have come, some days have passed by. Look! Tama is sleeping soundly tonight. Hes forgets to pray. There are four cats around hem. They are praying for Tama.

Another morning comes. Tama wakes up shockingly. An old bald man is sitting beside hem.

"Who are you?" Tama asks.

"God."

"Oh."

"Who do you think I am?" The God asks back.

"Well, I dont know God."

"It's okay. So, what is your wish?"

"Eh..." Tama is trying to remember something, but it turns out that hes has forgotten what hes wants.

"I'll teach you how to read, write and count."

Tama just agrees with the idea. Each four hours in a day the God comes to Tama to teach those three things. Tama is an intelligent person. It needs only a short time to make hem master the three lessons.

Now is the end of learning session. The God gives hem a notebook. "Write many sentences here and do the counting exercises inside the book. You must practice after my leaving."

"Don't go!"

"Fulfill the notebook. Next week at noon, go to see Mrs. Teacher. She will correct your words and counting." And the God doesn't care about Tama's request. He walks very fast to leave Tama alone.

Tama diligently fullfills the notebook as requested. One week has passed.

Today hes takes a bus to go to the teacher assigned by the God. Tama is going to meet Mrs. Teacher. Look! Hes is sitting on the bus chair, but hir eyes are looking at somewhere. Hes is seeing hemself in the future. Hes keeps smiling.

Tama has arrrived at Mrs. Teacher's house. He gives the notebook to her. Tama is curious, "What is your name, Mam?

Mrs. Teacher smiles and says, "My name is Teacher. Mr. Goddhu is my headmaster. My task is giving you correction of your homework."

"So, Teacher is your name and God is a name... a name of the headmaster."

"Correct. Now, what if we start discussing your book?"

"Yes, Mam."

After a while, "Only minor mistakes. You are talented to write and count. Now let's celebrate it."

"What is 'celebrate'?"

"It is the moment when you feel grateful. Then you do something to express it. Example, now I want to serve you some tea and cake and we cat eat together to express this good feeling."

Tama feels a warm calming explosion in hir heart, "This is my first time to celebrate something."

Tama and Mrs. Teacher then enjoy the tea and cakes.

"Here it is another notebook from Mr. Goddhu. Fulfill this again and you can come back to me like today."

"Thank you, Mrs. Teacher. May I see Mr. Goddhu?"

"Why do you want to see him?"

"I also want to celebrate it with him."

"Mr. Goddhu has passed away, a week ago."

Another explosion is happening inside Tama. Hes is now crying and hes eyes are looking at somewhere, somewhere in the past. Hir tears drop like rain.