Time-out

I was at an august (if not austere) gathering, couple of evenings back. Fifteen minutes into it and I realized my attention was drifting, in spite of myself. The entire gathering was deeply into what they were doing, while I adjusted multiple times my seating-arrangement. It was then that I chanced upon a little girl, who was constantly in a circle of her-own-game-with-herself. She had irresistibly mischievous movements, and hard-to-contain eyes. Eyes that interacted, before words did. She chanced upon me too. Restless, the two of us. Yet both shying away from reaching out to the other. So I made the first move and flashed a smile. Her circle was immediately cut short by couple of inches in diameter, and she moved in closer. I winked this time, and gestured at an empty spot next to me. She took royal time to arrive, and settle. Finally, she went back to her mother's purse, fiddled out something, and showed it to me. A photo of her in the mobile-phone. I smiled an 'Awww-smile'. That, I guess, set her off. Next what began was rather unexpected, and very clever of her, to be unassuming in her pitch. Here goes: 

Little Girl: "Which school?" 

Me: (Trying to suppress a laugh; showing a sad frown to her)"No school." 

LG: "I, Apeejay." 

Me: Gestured a wow and a thumbs up. (It may here be noted that silence was ideally asked out of the gathering we were both in.) 

LG: "Which class?" 

Me: (How could she ask me this??!) "No class (almost showing her a very sad smiley out of my face). You?"
LG: "LKG-B. Lower KG-B." (She explained.) Yes, that is the size that you can now assume of her! A tiny bundle of intensely charming energy. Bee-like. Very busy. 

LG: "How many friends?" Very serious. 

Me: Partying in my head, I acted out the saddest face I could and replied, "No friends. Zero friends." 

LG: "I, seven friends." This, while she showed four fingers to me. My moment of victory. 

Me: "Seven, or four?" 

That little thing was capable of remarkable embarrassment. And replied, "You can draw flower?" 

Me: Nodded a yes. And added, "Here." Pointing at her little fair legs. 

LG: The noblest, joyous laugh you could hear, was out that moment. Followed by "OK. Draw." 

Me: "No pen." 

LG: "Oho!" And ran to her mother's purse and fished for one. 

By this time, the silence of the meeting was at its end and people began conversing. And so we spoke freely, in audible hushes. Sensing she could find no pen, I asked for one from someone else and called her back, realizing I didn't yet know her name. 

LG: As if the conversation never ended, "Kaushani, Shivani...my friend." She sat to examine the pen and after approving, offered me her leg. Which had a birth-mole kind of thing, around which I told I would make a flower. However, I realized it would be wrong of me to do so, and so asking her to wait, looked for a slight piece of paper. Finding one, we set to making flowers. And the orders rolled out. 

LG: "House. Tree. Doll." 

I struggled, and maybe failed to live up to her expectations, and even made one fat-face in an attempt to sketch a doll in plaits. She said, "Kaushani" and took the pen from me. 

At this point, we were both being noticed in our interaction, and I became conscious. Of the august gathering. And how I needed a break from it. And was in one. And smiled an awkward smile at people. 

Her mother called her to leave. She immediately got up and went. I was smiling at the box-circle she had made on the paper in an attempt to replicate my flower. 

Suddenly I found she returned and said rather somberly to me, "Bring pen. I your friend. We do flower." 

Me: "Yes please!" And she left. 

A smile lingered within me. Those kinds which refuse to vacate your soul. At how friendships were formed. In prayers, and innocence. While we are bored, and restless, and trying and looking for a break. 

Later someone asked, "What were you both speaking? You and Chhuti?" 

Ok, I smiled on. 

Chhuti. :)