Hope
Asma-Ul- Hoosna
The sky turned dark — it might rain soon. The wind blew fast, as if it would tarnish everything in its path. I needed to find shelter, but I couldn’t see anything due to the dust. Suddenly, a call from behind; a man came in a cart.
“Who is that?” asked Mr. Dropple.
“It’s me, Esperanza,” I replied.
“You! What are you doing here? Aren’t you afraid? You shouldn’t roam around like this. Remember, you are a girl!” He roared at me. I looked down. I couldn’t face him, maybe because I wasn’t allowed to. You are a girl — I don’t even remember how many times this linehad encountered me. He left.
I took shelter inside a ruined house. Suddenly, it started to rain. I kept thinking about what Mr. Dropple said. I hoped for the rain to dissolve that murmur of that line forever. The rain did not seem like it would stop. I decided to walk. My clothes were drenched and the malador of sweat was washed away by rainwater, as if it would bring something new.
I went home. Drops of rainwater fell through the upper shed of the house and onto the bed where my father was lying. Frank and Alice played with a broken, wooden cart. Even I didn’t know how old it was. My mother once said that it was bought when I was born, or maybe even before that. It had been two years since she left me. Every night, I looked at the sky and tried to find her because Aunt Laura said that people who died became stars. Well…that wouldn’t be possible tonight because of the rain.
Alice came to me and held my hand. “Where is the food?” She asked. I could not meet her eyes. My father used to cut wood and sell it to feed us, but the pain in his leg increased and he could no longer move. That is why, even though my body did not have the strength to do so, I decided to cut the wood and sell it myself. I failed.
I gathered all my strength to cut some timber and take it to the market, but no one was ready to buy it from me. In front of my eyes, James, who lived near my house, sold his wood, but no one even looked at mine. I begged and cried but everyone laughed and looked at me as if I had committed a heinous sin. I could barely understand.
As I was thinking about all this, my father suddenly asked, “What’s wrong? I knew you wouldn’t be able to sell the wood. Next time don’t drag yourself into men’s work. Not everything is a cup of tea for a girl. Keep that in mind.” Tears rolled down from my eyes. I couldn’t find a reply. I wanted to help and support my family, but it became my biggest mistake.
The rain did not stop. Three days had passed since we last had food. Frank, being the youngest, couldn’t bear the hunger and fell sick. After my mother, I was the only one who took care of him. I gave him all my motherly love. I stood up, covered my head with a big polythene, and decided to go to Mr. Dropple. He was one of the area’s most affluent men. I went to his house with the hope of getting some food or help. I knocked on the door with a fear in my heart. Suddenly, a sound came from inside, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Esperanza.”
Bert opened the door and asked, “What do you want?”
“I wanted to meet Mr. Dropple. He knows me. My father, Patrick Lee, used to work for him,” I replied.
He said, “Well, Sir is having lunch. Wait here.” He shut the door. I waited in the rain for a long time.
Finally, Mr. Dropple came and asked, “You, girl, what are you doing here? Weren’t you the one who went to the market a few days back to sell wood? Well, I am sure you didn’t get anything.”
I remained silent, and then feebly asked, “Sir, I beg you, could you please give me some food? My father is very sick and due to the rain, no one would take the wood. My siblings have been living without food for three days. Please, I beg, spare me some food.”
He laughed as if I was making a mockery, and said, “Well, you shouldn’t have come here because you won’t get any help. Just look at you! You stink! Makes me want to throw up. Go away. I haven’t opened a free food service.” He shut the door.
I came back and found Alice and Frank asleep. My father asked, “Where have you been?”
Without replying, I lay down beside Frank.
The next day, I woke up as sunlight fell on my face. I came outside and saw that the rain had stopped. The sun rose and a light breeze caressed my body. The rays of the sun fell on the way as if giving new hope for something bright, something new.