The Red and Gold Shoe
The Red and Gold Shoe part 7/7
They passed the shoe from hand to hand, and Lata watched jealously as they examined it.
"Can I try it on?" asked one of the girls, and Lata looked at her for a long moment. "Only for a second-just to see what it feels like," the girl pleaded.
This was something new indeed-to be asked, instead of ordered, shouted at, or even pushed. And then to know that she had the choice of answering yes, or even no. She had to be careful here, and so she said, with that cunning that comes from being treated like nothing for too long: "What will you give me in return?"
It started off with a piece of sesame crunch saved from the recent marriage feast to which they had not invited her. She shared it promptly with Joseph, and from there it went on until, at the end of the week, she had for him a top without a point, three plastic bangles for herself, first place at the tap on two occasions when she overslept and was late, and even an invitation to a not-so-important doll marriage, For only the first week that was a good run of luck indeed, and Lata had reason to feel happy. The conditions laid down for the wearing of her shoe were stern. It must never touch the ground, nor be scuffed against anything to wear away the gold. This was no ordinary shoe and therefore it must be treated as no ordinary shoe was ever treated. Such conditions were bound to affect the wearer too. The betel seller's daughter borrowed the shoe for a whole afternoon and she wore it when her relatives called on the family from their village. All through the visit she sat sedately on a trunk, one leg folded under her and the other hanging down.
"What a modest and well-behaved girl !" said the elders -which she certainly was not. But for this excellent piece of foolery, the shoe earned Lata twenty-five coppers, with which she and Joseph treated themselves to gaudy pink balls of ice on sticks. They never bought these things because, as they argued-after they were eaten-it was nothing but frozen water after all, wasn't it? And they had to be eaten fast; otherwise they melted down one's chin and were wasted.
However, now Lata and Joseph could allow themselves such extravagance because the shoe held out promise of more to come.
"If we sold it, we could easily get a thousand rupees!" cried Joseph, his eyes shining.
Perhaps that was wishful thinking-but being rajah no longer was, and it was a proud moment when Lata was allowed to climb to the coveted position between Janak Seth's broad feet, wearing the shoe and holding the stick aloft to start the game. Shabby she was, and shabby she would remain-but at last she had something about which she could feel important. And this the shoe had done for her' Unfortunately even the most enchanted of shoes have a way of growing too small for one's feet, and there came a time when Lata couldn't wear her gold and red shoe any more. The felt innersole had become dirty from all the grubby feet that had worn it, the gold thread was not so gold any more, and the whole shoe had begun to show wear and even a little tear in its velvet. But even if Lata and every other child in the lane outgrew it, there was still one person not likely to do so. With a little wad of paper stuffed into its toe, the shoe would always fit Joseph. That was the way he wore it the first time Lata lifted him into place between Janak Seth's broad feet. Sitting under the gentle curve of Seth's large round stomach, he seemed smaller than ever, but he was smiling.
He looked down and all the faces were turned up to him. To think that he, poor little Joseph Pinto the Legless One had the power in this hand that held the rod to make all those children stop or go just as he chose! The thought almost brought tears to his eyes.
"Joseph is rajah!" cried Lata, clapping her hands. "Joseph is rajah forever !"
'Janak Rajah went to Dilli . . ." the children chanted. So Joseph too became a rajah, and because of his shriveled legs, it was possible he might be rajah forever. This was far better than pretending to believe he could ever become a jet-plane pilot, or an egret, or even an engine driver.
The other parts
The Red and Gold Shoe part 1/7
The Red and Gold Shoe part 2/7
The Red and Gold Shoe part 3/7
The Red and Gold Shoe part 4/7
The Red and Gold Shoe part 5/7
The Red and Gold Shoe part 6/7
 |
| Image from Internet |
No comments:
Post a Comment