THE LOOK

One evening, I went to a quarter that located at the edge of the city to pay a visit to my friend who was absent form from work so many days. His house was at the back of the quarter which was quite far from the main road. At beside the quarter there was a creek that covered with colorful rubbish. Previously, the creek might flow with clean and portable water, but now, because of nearby slum hovels, the water from the creek was changed into brownish. I just walked to the pathway beside the creek along the slum hovels to reach my friend’s house because that was the nearest short-cut way.

When I crossed over the totter bamboo bridge of the creek, I was standing for a while and looking at the sunset view of the slum area. In the evening sun, naked kids were playing in the creek; some women were washing clothes and some were bathing in the creek. Although it was contaminated, but they still depend on the creek for living. The sunset view of the slam area was not a romantic, the orange color sun was behind the brownish hovels and the sound of shouting each other’s, calling for someone, dogs barking and baby crying were exotic music to raise the tempo of the sunset.

After crossed over the bamboo bridge, I walked a narrow path way among the slum hovels. It was getting dark when I saw a little boy squatting down on a muddy puddle searching for something. When I came closer, he was tearing with doleful face and sobbing while scooping the muddy rice from the puddle. Actually, the little boy slipped on the road and the rice back (rice in plastic bag for one meal cooking) was broken and the entire rice poured in to the puddle. When I asked to him, he explained to me that the rice was for the family dinner that his mother asked him to buy at nearby grocery shop. And he scared to go home without rice for the dinner and definitely his mother will beat him. He continued explained to me that his father was just a manual worker at construction site and a drunkard. And he continued scooping up the rice from the muddy puddle meaninglessly.

I bought another rice bag for him from the same grocery shop where he bought the first one and asked him to bring home quickly and carefully before too late for cooking dinner. In addition, I bought some eggs for his family. Honestly, I wanted to buy a few instant noddle packs for him but I didn’t have enough money. I spent all my money except the bus fare for my return home. When receiving the rice bag and eggs from me, he was looking at my face for a while. And then run in to the dark holding the rice bag and the eggs bag without saying anything to me.
That day, I went home from the slum area without continuing my journey to my friend’s house. On my way back home, I was thinking about the little boy’s look before he disappeared in the dark. In his innocent look and sparkling eyes, I could feel about gratitude, love, joy and peace.
Whenever I see a muddy puddle, the look of the little boy always appears in my mind.

Photos Credit: Google Image

Henry Aung ( Kachin )