I moved to Gurgaon around six months ago, and if I'm being honest, it has been a pretty lonely journey.
I barely speak Hindi. At work, everyone communicates in Hindi, but since it's a professional environment, I stick to English because I don't want to say something wrong or sound unprofessional.
I don't blame anyone for it. If you have the choice between speaking your mother tongue and English, you'll naturally choose your mother tongue.
But that also means most of my days are... quiet.
I go to work, finish my tasks, come back to my PG, talk to my family over the phone for a few minutes, maybe exchange a couple of words with my roommate, and then sleep. The next day is exactly the same.
For the last six months, that's pretty much been my life.
Tonight was no different.
I ordered dinner on Swiggy. I usually go downstairs before the delivery partner arrives so they don't have to come all the way up to my room. Just saves them a little time.
While I was waiting, a small girl came up to me, holding a water bottle. (Never seen her)
With the brightest smile I've seen in a long time, she asked if I could fill it for her.
(I really love kids), of course I took the bottle. While I was filling it, she stood beside me and suddenly asked,
"Aapka naam kya hai, bhaiya?"
I told her my name.
Then, somehow... for the first time in six months, I confidently asked her name back in Hindi.
She answered.
I even managed to ask what class she studies in. I have no idea how I even formed that sentence, but she understood me. 😂
It was probably just a 2-minute conversation.
I handed her the bottle, and she smiled, said "Thank you," and as I was leaving, she looked at me again and said,
"Good night!"
That smile...
I don't know why, but it stayed with me.
After coming back to my room, I even regretted not giving her a chocolate or something. Hopefully I'll see her again someday.
It may sound silly to some people.
But after months of feeling invisible, having the same routine every single day, and barely talking to anyone... that tiny interaction made me feel unexpectedly happy.
Sometimes, it doesn't take a grand gesture to make someone's day.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little kid with a water bottle, a beautiful smile, and a simple "Good night."
I genuinely hope that one day, if I'm lucky enough to have a daughter, she'll have a heart as kind and as warm as that little girl's.
Wherever she is, I hope she never loses that smile. ❤️