sorry dear

                                  Sorry Dear…!!!!

Hello Miss"..!!

    She smiled and waved her hands at the gate of her house.Santhi looked up.

"Hello" Santhi also smiled and replied.

   She walked too fast because she was late that day.She remembered that the last few months no body stayed in that house.In this Raa Atoll island many houses remain closed.All like to stay in Malae,the capital city of Maldives.Because of geographic features the islands are scattered as atolls, mean ring like islands surrounded by water.About 2000 islands constitute this country.Each island is about one to two kilometers in area.Actually people are leading an isolated life ,no recreation, like cinema theatre,parks and all.This is a muslim country.Each island has a hospital,one or two schools and some shops.Only that much,no bus service and other facilities .People use two wheelers .Each island is like a village with less than 1000 people.But capital is a reasonably good town, so most of them like to stay there.Their main income is from fishing .For all goods they are depending other countries like India ,Sreelanka ,Thailand ,Singapore and Malasiya .

     While returning from the school Santhi looked at the girl's house.She saw a lady carrying a baby girl.Santhi was staying near the school as a paying guest with a Maldivian family.

      In the next few days Santhi didn't see that girl .One day again she saw her on the way to school.

“Good morning Miss” the girl wished her.

“Good morning”

‘’What is your name” Santhi just asked her.The girl was about 15 or 16 years old.

“Aishanath”

“Aisha….Where are you studying?”

“Now I am not studying..” She replied sadly.

“Why ? ” That time Santhi noticed her eyes filled with tears.

“My step-mother does not allow me to go to school”

“Oh…”

        Most of the children are not going to school regularly even though the Govt is giving free education.Santhi thought about her daughter who was in kerala because that girl reminded her.She got job in the ministry of education at Maldives a few months before.Many Indians especially Malayalees are working there because the UNICEF is giving a very good salary.She was hardly missing her family.She needed to complete few more months to get vacation.She took a deep breath.

They reached near the school .She said bye and went inside the school. The next day also Santhi saw Aisha.Then she was so tired and walked slowly.

“Aisha,where are you going?” Santhi asked .

“Hospital” she replied in a low voice.

“Why are you alone” she asked again.

“No body is there to come with me..”she replied sadly.

The hospital was next to the school building,they provided free service to all.Each island had a hospital like this.

“Okay ,don’t worry, I will come with you” Santhi said.Her eyes shined with happiness.On the way Santhi asked about her mother.

“My mother died last year Miss”.She told in a low voice.

“Then who is that lady staying in your home..” Santhi asked .

“That is my step- father’s second wife.”

“Then what happened to your father?” Santhi asked eagerly.

“When I was a kid my Bappa went for fishing in an another island..He didn’t come back from there ,married again and stayed there.Mamma waited him for few years and she also married. But my Mamma died 2 years back.Then my step-father married this lady.Now I didn’t have mother and father.I have nobody to love me.I am doing all kinds of works in my home.If not they are scolding and beating me. Now a days I felt too tired and difficult to breath properly” She started weeping.

       This was the condition of most of the children of Maidives. They are living like orphans with step-father or step- mother.Because of this conditions the children are like rebels and they do not respect anybody,even the teachers.Hence teachers face a lot of problems there.

“Don’t cry.We can see the doctor.”

      Santhi took her to the doctor.After a thorough check-up, he told her seriously,

“One valve of the heart is not working,she need an emergency operation.”

He prescribed some medicine and asked them to come on next week.They walked slowly from the hospital to her home.Her step-father and mother were standing near the door way.Santhi explained them about her illness.They got angry and blamed the doctor

      Next few weeks Santhi didn’t see Aisha .One day when Santhi came to the school she saw people were crowded near the girl’s home.

“What happened ?” santhi asked the woman standing near the gate.

“That girl died last night..She commited suicide.”

“Which girl?” Santhi asked.

“Aishanath”,the woman said.Santhi was shocked and her heart beat went up.

“Last night she put some kerosine and burned herself.She was sick and they didn’t treat her timely.She was tired and very sad.Nobody was there to take care of her.” the woman continued.

Santi rememebred the doctor’s words .She went inside the house to see her.It was a horrible sight.Santhi didn’t want to stay there.She wanted to escape from there.

“Sorry dear I couldn”t do anything for you.Really I am helpless.”Santhi murmured herself.Tears rushed out of her eyes.She came back from there with a heavy heart.

Santhi went to her school.She couldn’t do anything properly.Priya teacher called her to the bio lab for the practicals .They wanted to show the sections of stem and root.Santhi took sections many times,but nothing was proper.

“What happened Santhi ? why you are so moody? “asked Priya.She was her friend who came to this island 3 years back.She told about the girl.

“Ohh !! This is common in these islands.Here many children are having problems .Lack of love and care make the boys addicted to drugs.The parents are not caring their children.Some are getting more freedom,they are doing what ever they like.Comparing this country our country is a heaven in all means.We are living for our children and family.But here no family relation like us.You are new here, so you don’t know all these.So don’t be sad,we can’t do anything.They will get angry when we advise them.”

        It was a new information for Santhi.She took a deep breath.

“Who will take care of these children and .the next generation? Love and care only change their life”she told herself.

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