I admitted to one fault I had when I was
younger,1 had a bloated ego. And why not? I was a good student and 1 was
talented too. I could sing, dance, play the piano and was good at art too. I
collected medals,trophies, certificates and cash prizes, displaying them
proudly at home.
My parents were proud of my feats
and helped to fan my ego further by showing off and even boasting about my
achievements to friends and relatives who visited us.As long as I could
remember,they never failed me.I remembered when my relatives dropped by,they
always put me on top when the conversation started. No wonder 1 became
conceited, stuck-up and despicably unpleasant. I did not realise it but I was
fast losing many friends, who found it increasingly difficult to tolerate my
attitude.
Little did I know that they were
praying hard for a miracle to happen that would bring me down to earth to face
reality.They got their wish soon. A Talentime contest was being held in our
school to collect funds for charity. Naturally, I was one of the first to
register. Assured of success, I made fun of all the other contestants. I
laughed at their attempts to practise, especially Tina, an average student in
my class, but with a burning ambition to become a singer one day. She was
determined to use this occasion as a stepping stone towards achieving her
dream.Tiny Tina a singer?" I would snigger every time I passed her.
Apparently,
Tina was small-framed, hardly standing at five feet in her plain canvas shoes.
Whereas, I was an impressive willowy five feet six inches in my branded canvas
shoes. That was another reason for me to look down on her - we came from two
different strata of society! Poor Tina.
She was so intimidated by me that she would scuttle away whenever she saw me.
Or she would make herself as tiny as possible and creep past me as silently as
a mouse. But she had a strong
determination and resolute desire to win. Unknown to me, many of my former
friends had pooled their resources together to pay for Tina s entrance fee.
They even engaged a coach to teach her the finer points of singing, gathering
together at Elsa s place to listen to her and help her train in the coach’s
presence. I, on the other hand, blissfully enjoyed myself, dreaming of becoming
Miss Talentime, but doing nothing to work for it. I thought I was perfect and
did not need any practice.
Finally, the day dawned. I was the
fifth contestant and Tina, the eighth. I went up on stage, smiling, waving,
blowing kisses behaving exactly like a prima donna. But when the first strains
of music filled the hall,1started off on the wrong note. In consternation,I
stopped and signalled to start again. This time, I began too late. There was no
coordination between my singing and the music. It sounded jarring to my own
ears. I panicked and stopped. I looked at the sea of faces before me; some
were, laughing, some looking sympathetic, some shaking their heads, and some -
yes, they were jeering. My mouth opened and closed like a toad. Then, I turned
and ran out, the jeering laughter still echoing in my ears.
Offstage, I came face-to-face with
none other than my nemesis - Tiny Tina, the bane of my life. I had teased and
insulted her cruelly, yet there I was, standing before her, vulnerable and exposed
in my shame. This was her chance to fling back into my face all the sneers and
scornful remarks I had meted out to her. I expected to see spite and revenge in
her eyes. But no! That was not what she did. She caught my hands and cried! I
could not believe it. Tina, whom I had treated so badly, was crying for me,
mumbling, ‘I m so sorry, Sara. So... so... sorry. You must try again. Here,
take my number. You can go in my stead...
My tears dried up. I stood straight
and proud, but not with the arrogant pride I had displayed so far. This was
pride, touched with humility. My pride had taken a fall, but my dignity still
remained and I wanted to redeem myself. I thrust back her number into her
hands, saying gently, ‘No, Tina. I’m sorry for bullying you so much.
“But this is your dream and you will
achieve it. Put your whole heart into it”My tears welled up.I hugged her and
turned her towards the stage. Her
friends (my former friends, in fact) stared open-mouthed, unable to believe
what they were witnessing. Yes, indeed, as they had prayed for, my ego was
finally flattened, deflated, like a balloon losing air. Needless to say, Tina
was declared Miss Talentime.
When the results were announced, I was the first
to reach her, hugging her tightly and congratulating her wholeheartedly, before
others came to heap their best wishes.
Tina and I have remained close friends ever since. She is now a
prominent lawyer, not the famous singer that she had once dreamed of becoming.
And I - I am that singer now.
See how fate has overturned events? The
diminutive Tina became a vociferous lawyer, standing fierce and tall in the
court, and the smart alec,multi-talented Sara a singer, albeit a well-known
one. Sometimes, I sit down in a quiet moment and 1 think of that fateful day
when I learnt my lesson.
