Surprise Stories

I have been a part of some really wonderful stories. Yesterday was one such time.

My student Ansita has been helping me with Warm Regards since the day it started. When we got our first order and we wanted to recruit women, nobody knew where to start. We called Ansita and her sister Neha and together the two sisters, got us a room full of women, when we really only wanted five. Since then, Ansita has been part of most discussions and has been meeting the women and checking on them. On her own. She has not been instructed or asked to do any of this because of course, we adults think we can manage everything.

The other day, one of the women shared with me how Ansita has been going around explaining the work and getting things for her so that she can finish the bedsheet that she has been working on. I was surprised. As a token of my appreciation, I wanted to give Ansita some money. She is responsible enough to use it wisely and also, I know she can save for some future needs. When I offered her the money, she refused to take it. She said she prefers some article instead. I asked her what she wanted and I was completely unprepared for what she was going to ask. A guitar.

How does she come up with such requests? How was I going to get her a guitar? From the money I am giving her, how much would she be able to save and for how long in order to get a guitar and then start lessons. What will the other students in class think? I told her that I would think about it (which is my way of saying an 80 percent no). She told me that she doesn't mind a second hand one. I said nothing. She called me that night and told me that she really wanted a guitar and I really wanted to 'teach' her that not all wishes can be or should be fulfilled. I wanted to tell her the story of how my sister wanted to learn the guitar but didn't get to, how I wanted to learn to play the piano, sing, dance, paint, skate and countless other things, but I didn't get to, but I didn't. She has heard all that before. I was preparing myself to not give this conversation too much of attention.

However, this story was waiting to be written so Ashish made an entry. Ashish is an advertising professional and musician who mentioned on Twitter that he wants to give away his guitar. Was I reading that right, I wondered. And quickly checked the conversation on the tweet. There were 45 retweets and none of the people on the list had asked for it. I love not having any competition and I jumped at it. I told him that I wanted the guitar having the same feeling when I get through the tatkal booking on IRCTC or get flight tickets for really cheap- urgency mixed with excitement and anxiety, what if at that very second someone is asking for it! But, I got it and things worked out. They were meant to.

Ashish came yesterday and gave Ansita the guitar. Ansita was ecstatic. She is also deeply intuitive and kept saying that she thought she was going to get it today i.e. yesterday. One of the questions she asked Ashish was 'Whose friend are you? Fiona Ma'am's or Roxanne's?' and Ashish said, I am nobody's friend. That was the perfect answer. All of us yesterday (especially I), needed that reminder. That once in a while our dreams come true. When we least expect it someone will come with what we need. Not all wishes have to be postponed or rationalized away. Not all dreams have to die. I tweeted yesterday, you never know when God's listening to your conversations.

Really, you never know. 

Neha, Ansita and the Guitar