Go where your heart takes you

1. Priya and Bindi

Every morning, it was the same old story. My cousin Bindi and me, were used to go to the fount to take the water with two big vases that we hugged with our arms. During our way there, I always took a moment for myself, to enjoy all the sounds, the smelings and the beauty of that new day.

The fount was under two old and huge pinetrees near the beach. It was a strange thing to go there and it was a funny thing to have water problems living near the sea, but it was like this. The water only arrived in houses at night or early in the morning. All this to prevent that the pipes, which transported the water from the close village, didn't get broken. In fact, it had happened some years before and nobody had enough money to fix them and for this,in my village there had been many fights among the people. So, to avoid fights and money problems (we were all already poor) we got used to this system and to this rules.

In my family I was the one who had to go to take the water every morning, as I was the youngest.

"Bindi, I'm coming!" I said to my cousin.

Then I started to run, as usual, with her, who was behind me since she was more slow and clumsier than me. This was our tactics: running as fast as we could to find less women at the fount and that meant queueing less time under that hot sun.

I was used to run barefoot on the sand, with my sari tightened in my teeths to cover my eyes and to protect them from the little flecks of sand, with one hand I embrassed the vase and with the other one I held my dress for not to fall. From the corner of my eyes I could see the sea, my marvellous sea, where I couldn't go. It was forbidden to me to go there and obviously to swim in it. As long as I could I stayed away from it but I couldn't be separated from something I loved. Even if I wasn't close by, I could hear the sound of the waves that reached the beach or I could smell that amazing scent in the air.

But that morning was different from the other ones. Bindi was running faster than me and I couldn't reach her.

"C'mon Priya!"

I felt more and more exhausted, every minute I felt worse than before, I was breathless... I couldn't make it anymore.

"I'm coming Bindi" I tried to say.

My cousin stopped and came to me: "Hey are you okay?" she caressed my face.

I nodded : "Haan, main theek hoon. It's just... today is so hot, hai na? " *1

"Yes, it is. Are you sure you're okay?"

"You just keep going, I'll reach you. Chinta mat karo." *2

"Accha" *3 She smiled to me, I smiled too and I keep doing it as long as I saw her running.

I started to walk again, very slowly, but I still felt bad. I was again breathless and everything was turning around me. Breathing at that moment was so difficult to me, I was gasping.

"Bin.." I got to say this before I fell down.

When I opened my eyes I was lying on my bed in my house. I could see my mother there next to me and my grandpa and Bindi in front of me, who looked at me terribly worried but at the same time happy that I woke up.

"My little darling, how are you?" said my Mum caressing my hair "We were all so worried for you.."

"I'm okay now amma " *4

"Priya I'm really really sorry." Said my cousin helding her ear *5 . "It's my fault, if something had happened to you, I .."

"Shh, come here Bindi. Don't cry, I'm okay now, it's what matters." I said smiling and drying her tears on her face.

Bindi wasn't only my cousin, she was my best friend. We had grown up together, we were used to play together and we had attended the same school. We strongly loved each other, like we were two sisters. She was shorter than me and she was the typical indian girl, with black hair and dark eyes and her skin looked like the colour of the chocolate.

I wasn't like her. Not at all. I didn't look as an Indian girl. I had light brown hair, blue eyes and my skin didn't look like chocolate, it was light, lighter than the chocolate. I didn't look like anybody in my family, except for my grandma, that I had never seen or known. My parents had told me that.

When my mum and Bindi went out of the room, only my grandpa and me remained in my bedroom. I loved him so much, he was the only one who could understand how sea was so important to me. He was the one who lied every evening to my parents to get me to the beach and to teach to me how to swim. He told them that we went out for a walk together, but it wasn't like this.

"So.. tonight we won't go to the beach, mere chhote." Said my daada*6 coming with his chair near my bed.

"Yes I know. Amma won't let me go out until tomorrow.. and abbu.. *7 "
I couldn't finish my phrase as my dad entered the room. He was furious.

"How many times I told you not to run?"

"I'm sorry abbu.."

" You're not as the other girls. You have to take care of yourself, okay? You know you can't do it. If you were equal to the other girls, then.."

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*1 "Yes, I'm fine. It's just..today is very hot, isn't it?"

*2 Chinta mat karo = Don't worry

*3 Accha= That's okay

*4 Amma=Mummy

*5 This is a typical indian gesture: helding ears while asking for an apology.

*6 Mere chhote= My little
     Daada= Grandpa

*7 Abbu=Daddy

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I'm sorry if my English or my Hindi are wrong, but I'm not a mother tongue of any of them. I'm just a learner :)
I hope you're enjoying the story. If you want to leave a comment and tell me what you think about it, I'll be very happy.
Thank you so much for your support and love, cheers. ❤❤