It was a long walk from her school to home.
But Betty loved it. She loved the deserted narrow road. She loved the greenery on either side. She loved the setting sun. She loved the cool breeze.
But most of all she loved to talk to her friends on the way, Bernie, the pipal tree and the other friends. It was a little secret only Betty knew.
In the beginning she wanted to surprise others by telling about her friends, but none ever believed her. ‘Gosh grow up sissy! ’ her brother had said. ‘What?! Trees talk to you?!’ her friends had exclaimed. Thus, she left it at that, lest they making fun of her friends.
This was 10 years ago. Now she was in high school, and Bernie and others were still her friends. On her way back home, she had always stopped by, talk to them, spend some nice time and leave.
Today, on her way back , she was tired. She slowly walked, threw her bag, and sat against Bernie’s brown trunk. Bernie was 70 years old now, and he was still going strong. Well, so were his friends around.
Betty was unusually silent, and that was not her. She was chirpy and garrulous, who loved to talk about her daily details, about how mean her school teachers can be, how irregular the boys of her school are, the secret paths she and her class girls had found, the secret lovers they had caught. But she was unusually silent today.
So Bernie initiated – ‘Good evening mademoiselle! How did the day treat you?’ Betty grunted and waved off her hand. ‘Uuhhhh…not bad then..! So did they give your grades at school’ Betty nodded a no.
‘Well then if it is not that, then...why...Is ….’
Betty cut it off and popped up and suddenly asked ‘ Bernie do you know what to do , to be perfect?’
If Bernie was a man, I would have described his expression. Bernie held for a second and gave a loud laugh. As though taken by surprise he asked ‘but why do you want to be perfect??’
‘Because, being perfect is the best. Because only by being perfect you can be the best. Because only perfect people are respected’
‘Oops and who told you this?’
‘I KNOW IT Bernie! ’ she frowned.
‘Hmmmm..! Alright when you know it’
Betty sighed. Her voice low she said ‘I am unhappy with myself Bernie. I am. I feel worthless. First of all I am not beautiful; if I was I would have received a beautiful rose on the Valentine’s Day, like all my other friends did. I am over sensitive. I easily get hurt. I am jealous about people. I am selfish. I lack sense of humor, so boys don’t talk to me! I am argumentative. I have so many flaws in me, and I wonder if anyone could ever love me!’
She halted, when was about to begin Uncle Tom was passing by, looking a Betty cheerfully yelled ‘Hey Betty! Tired of the walk? Go home soon…!’
‘Yes uncle a couple of minutes’ she managed to give a fake smile. After Uncle Tom, was out of the earshot Betty continued
‘I know am all this. And I want to change. I want to be the ideal girl - The good girl that everyone loves - The beautiful girl who gains the maximum attention. I want to be matured - The calm - The thoughtful – The selfless - the girl whom nobody has a problem with.’ Her voice trembled, and tears rolled down.
Bernie was silent.
‘Talk something Bernie!’ Betty demanded
‘Well, well give me some time! I am rehearsing my lecture!’ Bernie chuckled
‘Oh Common…please..!’
“Alright, alright let’s get serious for some time. Betty…I think I know how to become perfect’
‘You do!? How??” Betty’s face brightened.
‘Well, by not being perfect. And that makes things perfect’ he chuckled again. But looking at Betty's frowned troubled face; he suppressed his mirth and began –
‘OK let me explain, and begin with me. What do you think of me Betty?’
Though a little surprised, she gave in ‘You are a good old man Bernie. Strong..! Green..! Hmm patient! And Lovable!
‘OK. Now look at John and tell me what you think of him’
John the lemon tree was standing on the other side of the road. He shyly smiled and waved at Betty.
She smiled back and said ‘well I think he is young! Colorful! Bright! Slender!’
‘Hmmm now, amongst two of us, who do you think is perfect?’
John exclaimed ‘Oh Bernie...Please’
Betty was surprised too ‘How can we say that? I can’t compare you both! You are both good! In your own way!’ she was compassionate.
‘No I think I am imperfect Betty. I am old. I am stoic. I can’t move. I have nests all over. My leaves are dull in color. I have no wife. I feel bad too’ he sounded animated.
‘Bernie! You are not that!’ all of them at once exclaimed
‘No my friends I am! I am bad in my own ways. If a girl like Betty has so many flaws in her. What am I then, a damned soul’ he cribbed.
‘Bernie! Are you going to make me cry?!’ Betty hugged him. ‘I love you Bernie. You are my good friend! I am not bothered if you are old or stoic. Don’t say that ever again’
Bernie smiled, and calmly said “How I wish I could hug and tell you the same things Betty! Yes, no matter, if you are sensitive, careless, argumentative, but to all of us you are one of the best humans ever., who has been for the past ten years religiously stopping by and talking to us, the immovable souls, who can give you back nothing except love!”
‘Wipe your tears now’ John said.
‘Nothing is perfect in this God’s creation. Have you seen a square leaf? A rectangle cloud? A crystal clear river? Look at the mountains there; are they all in the same height? Well look at your own fingers are they of the same size?’
‘No’ she looked at her fingers and smiled as though amazed.
“Now does this mean, everything around is ugly? Absolutely not! These imperfections are the ones that make all the creations around beautiful..!”
Betty just gazed.
‘Life would have been so boring if all is perfect Betty’
‘How’ she quizzed.
“How? Well do you like the spring to be all year around?’
‘Noo…..It would be boring’
‘But why, that’s your favourite season’
“well, not for long! I might fail to appreciate its goodness, if I don’t see the winter” she mischievously smiled
‘Haha right! There you see! People, similarly fail to understand your goodness, if you have no vices!”
‘aaaah’ Betty awed, as though some brilliant thought had dawned into her.
‘So Betty, it’s perfect to be imperfect. And because you’re imperfect you are already perfect!” Rosa, the eucalyptus laughed.
‘Hmmm! I would have not liked myself to see with a smooth trunk, with my 65,789, 765 leaves in round shape! The grooves on my trunk help the ants to climb up easily, the thick leaves and their color protect the birds. My huge, rugged trunk helps me stand erect all the time! You see Betty; it’s not the perfections that make things beautiful. It is the originality that makes it beautiful. God is too efficient, to be questioned dear.” He smiled.
“Wow Bernie!” Betty almost shouted as she clapped.
“That was a speech Bernie’ Rosa exclaimed. ‘Yes. Yes’ murmured all.
Just then, Betty heard her mom’s voice shouting. “Betty! Betty! Where are you?”
It was then she realized, that It was quite late, and the sun almost set. ‘Oops it’s late! I have to rush. Will see you all tomorrow!’ she waved and ran down.
She confronted her worried mom, who was relieved to see Betty. “Betty! What took you so long! I’d called your friends; they said you’d already left. And I was….” Before her mother could finish the line, Betty hugged her and calmly said “I fell in a pit mom, an old man helped me come out; and it took me this long” she smiled.
“What? You fell down? Where? When? How did you? I mean when?”
“Come along mama, I will tell you along the way” she looked back as though knowing that Bernie heard it from that far.
--- And so they walked down…
