Everyone on the bus! Yes I decided to ride the kids’ bus and sit by Sanjay and Bikash.
Off we went together to travel many hours to see Manakamana, “The Wish Fulfilling Temple” on top of a mountain that rose 3000 ft high with a cable car system that took the devotees up.
Bikash is attending Upper Kindergarten right now. He has been at DNC for 2 years. He is a burn victim. Half of his face had been burned in a fire accident and his left hand is deformed, perhaps due to the fire as well. It was early, about 8:00 am and they had gotten up at 6:00 AM to get ready. He was pretty sleepy and immediately fell asleep on my lap signaling that I should keep my right hand on his forehead to shield it from the bright sunlight. I held his left hand in mine, just like I would when my son Richard was a little boy. The feeling was not any different! Here’s a sleepy boy who needed a soft lap to lay on, to feel secure that he was not going to hit the window every time the bus would veer left or right (believe me, it veered a lot). A tear rolled down my cheek and as I held that deformed hand, he held my hand with his trusting heart!
Sanjay is now in grade two. He joined DNC in 2005 at the age of six. His feet, which had been severely burned in a fire at the age of two needed to be amputated. Only after the bandages had been soaked off and skin grafting had been done did he learn to walk. He has these round shoes that allow him to walk pretty much anywhere. His left hand has only the first knuckles and no fingers left to point with. Like Bikash he too was feeling car sick and sleepy! So after throwing up several times (I’m glad they had these little plastic bags for this purpose) he began to slump sideways as well, preparing to fall asleep. I had to hold him close lest he hit his head on the forward window that was a foot away. I held his upper body secured as he leaned on my right shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable position for me but it seemed fine enough for these two angels to forget their daily routine for a moment and dream of the Temple in the sky!
It was the family bus – kids asleep, kids singing, kids teasing each other and fighting over window seats. As far as I am concerned, I had the best seat in the bus!
Just wake us up when we get there...no need to hurry, though!
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| From My DNC Children |
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