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SWITCHED PLACES

Abba had a friend, he was around 40 and he wasn't married.
He used to come to our house often in the evening to have tea with Abba and Amma made sure to serve him with 'Ghar ka khana' because he lived alone.

I was allowed to give him company if Abba wasn't home.
He used to teach me random stuff while we waited for Abba. He taught me grammar, basic math, tables but most importantly he taught me how to tell time. I remember we had this brown square-shaped wall clock in the drawing-room and that man worked so hard to teach my 9-year-old dumb self.

I was around 9 and it always felt safe with him.
I was allowed to play in the lawn while the gardener did his work.

When I think about all this now and I look at my niece who just turned 7, I wonder I was so lucky to have people, even strangers who were noble and honest. I don't know if those times were better or the people were but I do know for sure that my sister won't feel safe leaving my 7-year-old niece along with the 'mali' in the lawn or she wouldn't let her sit alone in the drawing-room with one of her abba's friends.

These are super scary times and I'm so glad to have a smooth childhood. I'm glad I developed the sense of right and wrong before I had to see so much rubbish around myself, before the times when media is nothing but garbage. and I'm scared for my nephews and nieces who'd grow up in such messed up and chaotic surroundings.
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I think there was rubbish back then too when I was growing. There were predators as well but I was so well guarded by my parents that I didn't even know it existed and I was too naive to know about it.

Maybe mama was worried too. maybe she saw me from the window while uncle taught me how to tell time and what 9 times 5 is. She definitely kept an eye while I played in the garden as the gardener planted new flowers and watered the ones which were already there.

These kids are naive too and probably I'm scared because I'm the protector now because they don't know anything just like I didn't know anything back then.
I'm scared because I am at a different place now.
There might still be people out there who are modest and god-fearing but we have to find those people, for them, to give them a smooth childhood like I had.

I'm scared because I have a responsibility now.
I'm blaming the people and the times but in reality, I'm just a little scared.


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