Novel-tears!

Little Hima: Atte, are you angry with me?

I nod as a ‘no’

Atte, I simply scolded you, for not telling ABC when I was playing teacher-teacher.... it was just for playing, ok?

I nod

Atte, am I a bad girl?

I nod again, trying to smile

Atte, why are you crying? Are you not well?

I nod

Atte, don’t cry.... did thatha-ajji scold you?

I nod

Dee comes in and starts teasing me and laughing at me.

Atte, did mava scold you or fight with you?

She looks at D and scolds him that he is making me cry.

I nod again, tell her that he didn’t do anything, wiping my tears and trying to smile....

Atte, don’t cry ok?

She gets a towel and wipes my cheeks; I give a bigger smile...

She looks at the book in my hands,

Atte, did your boss scold you because you didn’t read the book?

I nod, take her on my lap, hug her and start laughing...

I show her the book in my hand - ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and tell her that I was crying over the characters in the novel.... she’s all the more confused, she can’t comprehend that someone can cry reading something.... and I just smile at her innocence... Why can't everything be just as innocent in the world?