At last! It’s a boy baby!
The relatives jumped out of joy! The new father was at peak of pride and mother had a great sigh of relief. It was the most cherished moment for them. All their family pride and culture were on their legal heir! Obviously, he was their only hope like in any other family![G3]
It was school time for the baby boy! Engineer or doctor? Cricket or football? Those were the unanswered questions! The parents were eager about his growth! After all, he was their only hope!
Baby Boy grew up to class 1. He was sharp as his parents expected. He excelled in academics. He loved to dance. He loved drama. His Cinderella role was applauded by the school as a whole. He was addressed as Cinderella by his teachers. They were all fond of this little Cinderella!
Little did he know that he loved the Cinderella in him!
He didn’t want to cut his hair short. He didn’t want his boys around to play. He didn’t want to buy trousers. He felt comfortable in his Cinderella dress. He started admiring himself in his Cinderella dress. Handsomeness no more admired his eyes! He felt the beauty in him. He loved the beauty in him.
But his mom didn't like the way he behaved. He was not allowed to wear his favorite Cinderella dress. He was not allowed to grow his hair long. He was no more the Cinderella of his school. He was forced to take up Romeo role while he wanted to be a Juliet. He had training and consultations to behave as a male while the beauty in this little beast cried inside!
By the time, it was the time of climax to his elementary education. He started developing some heaviness in his chest. Little did he/others know that it was the magic of estrogen. Sadly his nonexistent ovaries started their work. They didn’t know the societal norms! Rather the society was unaware of the least known things. He felt unusual. But the beast loved the growing Cinderella in him. It was a secret love until her bosom grew!
Inadvertently her grades went low. She didn't perform in her school cultural fest. All her favorite teachers disliked her. Her friends laughed at her. Her parents felt ashamed to take her out. Her school did not want her anymore.
Slowly, he started dying to live her life!
She started exploring herself. She cried, trembled, struggled deep inside. But the warrior in her didn't give up. She carried all the strength to talk to her parents about how she is. They were not ready to support her. She pleaded with them to accept her. She was thrown out of the family and her home![G14] [G15] [G16] [G17] [G18]
She was left alone. She had no place to land. She tried for a job, begged on streets, [G19] starved, harassed, mocked bullied. What could a 17-year-old do? She gave up on her life. She found a water bed to end her life. [G20] [G21] The society pulled her away stating that the holy waterbed would lose the sanctity.
She was not allowed to die! She was not allowed to live.
On her way, she found an old blind man struggling to walk. She went near and held him. She saw his leg had wounds. His pants were torn. It was visible that he had fallen somewhere. She made him sat brought him some water out of her begged money. She tied a bandage with a torn piece of cloth. She held his hands to ask if he is fine.
She felt that someone had finally identified her. She felt comfortable talking to him. But she didn’t reveal her past. She loved the way he called her. She introduced herself as an orphan to him.
“I’m an orphan too. My son left me alone. He and his wife didn’t want their child to grow up with a blind man. My Granddaughter would be of your age now” he said.
He wanted to take this little girl to his home as his grandchild. He invited him to his home. She was taken aback, refused and went away. He did not force her.
Then on, he used to come and sit there daily. They talk for hours. He got her food and cloth. She felt safe when he is with her. She addressed him as NANA and he called her beti. But she never agreed to stay along with him. She felt guilty, cheating him, taking advantage of her situation. She didn’t want to lose the one she had. So this was enough for her. She continued to stay in streets.
After a few months, Nana stopped coming to meet her. She didn't know why. She had no contact about him neither did she know his place. She waited for 3 days so did her hunger. She didn't have the courage to beg again. While she was helpless, a postal boy came [G23] [G24] searching in the streets calling who is beti! She didn’t have any idea that she would get any post. After all, who would send letters to a homeless person?
But seeing the letter was addressed from nana, she got it from him. She supposed it was from him. But he is blind. How would he even write? Having so many questions in her mind, she opened the letter, which was also a gateway for her life.
The letter said, "Beti, I know who you are. I arranged for you to get admitted to a transgender home. Please be safe"[G25] [G26]
The cover had an admission letter and some money. She had no words. But she couldn’t meet Nana after that. She went to the home. She started her career. She felt her life there. Everyone had a story. But everyone had a helping hand too!
Years passed. She started a business on her own. She was awarded as the best entrepreneur and a social activist by the nation.
She came up to the podium with a classy walk, held her award high and said,
“A lot of people have it in their head that we wake up and decide to be transgender. I want people to know that it’s not a choice. Nothing has happened in my life to make me transgender. I was born as a transgender. It’s a disguise to our society for not accepting natural phenomena. We are no less than any other gender. It’s just that we are denied of opportunity”
To all MY WoMAN out there, Let’s scream so that one day, a hundred years from now, another sister will not have to dry her tears wondering where in history, she lost her voice!”
Cinderella was back!
The blind man sat in the crowd applauding her speech. He knew her voice!
Comments
Post a Comment