Myla

By Sana Pratiti Suresh

“Zzz,’’ snored Myla. Suddenly, she awoke with a start. It was her birthday, today. How could she have forgotten?!  Since she studied very hard, she had lost track of days.

Her small dingy window let the morning sunlight stream into the room. Myla went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and put on a simple cotton chudidhar. Myla’s family was quite a poor family and could not afford anything fancy. They lived in a tiny straw hut in a village in Haryana.

Then she went into the kitchen where her Mamaji was making rotis for breakfast.

“Happy Janamdhin beta!” wished her Mamaji.

“Dhanyavad,” replied Myla.

Her Papaji entered the house sweating. Myla’s Papaji, whose name was Rajakuram, had to wake up at four o’clock to plough the fields.

“Happy Janamdhin beta!” he also wished Myla.

Myla and her Papaji sat down on a straw mat and Myla’s Mamaji, whose name was Diya, came and sat down with the rotis and some buttermilk. After they finished eating, Mamaji asked Myla how old she was now.

“Eighteen!” she answered.

Her Mamaji smiled and then went over to a big old chest and took out a small package which she handed to Myla.  Myla knew this was her present. It was wrapped in a dirty newspaper. She had seen other well-to-do kids in the village open huge presents wrapped in fancy wrapping paper, but she was thankful for the present her parents had given to her. So, she quickly unwrapped it and there in a box was a piece of newspaper that said:      

Dear reader,

This contest for eighteen-year-olds consists three rounds if you pass these rounds you will win a scholarship to a college in the US and after you finish your course you will get a seat in the engineering company.

Yours, 

The newspaper company.

ELEVEN years later…

Hey! I’m twenty-nine now. My name is still Myla! I live in Chicago, USA and well, I’m an Engineer because I worked hard and won the scholarship and then got a seat in the Engineering company! Now I’m engaged to my to-be husband whose name is Cedric. My dear parents still live in Haryana, although they have shifted to a big bungalow. But they can’t complain that I live in US anymore, because I visit them very often. If not for my winning the scholarship, I would not be here in USA!

And I’m sure that we’ll all live very happily ever after…!

By Sana Pratiti Suresh