LOOK! I CAN FLY!



“YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE ISN’T WHAT YOU’RE GIVEN. IT’S WHAT YOU CREATE, WHAT YOU CONQUER, AND WHAT YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE.”



It was the beginning of June and the heat of the afternoon sun was unbearable.



I was at home and heard a gentle knock at the door. Who would knock when there’s doorbell? I wondered.



I opened the door and looked perplexed as a beautiful young girl stood before me.



“Hello, Ma’m. Do you recognise me?” she asked as she smiled at me as if she’d known me for years. I stared at her once again, taking in her beauty and grace, but I still couldn’t place her.



“Please come in,” I told her as I held the door open for her. She walked in and once we were seated in the living room, she asked me again: “Do you recognize me?”



“I am Navya, Ma’m. Your Navya,” she said after I still hadn’t figured out who she was.



“Oh! My Goodness! Navya!” I couldn’t believe my eyes.“The restless, naughty…”



“Undisciplined, disobedient, notorious child!” she completed my sentence with a laugh. A laugh I recognized immediately.



I just stood there in utter disbelief. Was she the same Navya who was my student 12 years ago?



“Oh Navya! I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”



We sat there for a few moments, taking it all in. We were both overwhelmed with this meeting.



Navya was the first to break the silence. “Isn’t it amazing how God brings the right people into our lives at the right time?” she stated. “People who understand us, support us, and care for us regardless of the circumstances?”



That one sentence brought back memories of her as a little girl, fighting a troubled life when I first met her.



I was her teacher in the 5th grade and I remember her as a small but feisty child. Stubborn and defiant, she retaliated at the slightest provocation. She was never attentive in class, never completed her assignments and homework on time, never followed instructions – the list of her misdeeds was endless.



In the beginning, her behaviour annoyed me. But soon the annoyance turned to worry. Why was she behaving like this? Why was she always acting up? Was something bothering her and this was her way of coping with it?



They say that teachers can change the lives of many with just the right mix of chalk and challenges. And for the first time, I realized that there had to be a reason; she had to be more than who she portrayed.



It was on one of the class excursions that I learnt about Navya’s family and her harrowing experiences.



Navya was an adopted child and her family had adopted her when she was just an infant. Her adoptive parents had been unable to bear a child for over a decade and had therefore decided to adopt one.



Things seemed great at first. But as fate would have it, Navya’s parents were soon blessed with a child of their own. A boy. And while she was thrilled to have a younger brother to play with, she would soon realize what a big change that would mean for her.



It wasn’t long before her parents began neglecting her, showering their love and attention on their son. Rejection soon turned to ill-treatment and Navya felt utterly rejected. She lost interest in everything from thereon. Even though she was quite intelligent, she didn’t want to study or do anything worthy of any one’s appreciation.



I tried to make things better for her in school in my own small ways, but it didn’t seem to make much of difference to her. The only thing that gave me hope was that she knew I cared for her.



It was Monday and time for the morning prayers. All the children were walking in a single file toward the school auditorium. I spotted Navya in the line, clutching a small wild flower in her hand. It made me smile. I knew the flower was for me; Navya would bring for me a wild flower from the school garden every morning. It was a small gesture, but it brought as much joy to me as it did to her.



I was standing with some of the other teachers just outside the auditorium when Navya spotted me. She broke the queue and ran towards me.



Sr. Cecelia, the principal, saw her and pulled her up. “Navya, where’s the fire? Why are you breaking the queue? Don’t you see all the other students maintaining complete discipline?”



Navya didn’t say anything. She simply hung her head in despair.



“You will stand outside my office until school is over.”



I stepped into the auditorium with a heavy heart. The students were singing the hymn ‘As the Deer’. I closed my eyes and bowed my head as I heard them sing: “As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee...”



But I just couldn’t concentrate or speak to my Heavenly Father. I could only see Navya’s big bright eyes pleading for mercy. Love often compels you to break the rules. I knew that from experience.



After the assembly, I went to Sr. Cecelia’s office. Navya stood there by the door. She looked at me and bowed her head. I said nothing. She was already punished.



I walked into the principal’s office and without waiting for her to say anything, I blurted it out: “Sister, Navya was punished because of me today.”



She looked at me in utter surprise. I told her what had happened and gave her a glimpse into the hardships Navya was facing.



“It is heart-breaking,” she said as she sat down.



I nodded my head in agreement. “I am just trying to make her journey a little easier,” I told her.



That was the last year Navya stayed in my school. Her father had taken up a new job in another city and her family moved with him. I lost touch with her, but thought about her every now and then. I had thought at the time that she was too young to understand our relationship or to miss it.



But she did understand. And that’s what brought her to see me.



After graduating from school, Navya pursued her graduation in English Literature and later completed her teacher’s training. “I want to be a teacher,” she told me. “Just like you.”



“Do you remember how you were in school?” I asked her with a smile. “Did you never want to change your behaviour?”



“I tried, Ma’m. I did, several times. I wanted to be more obedient, more sincere and disciplined. But no one wanted to believe in me. Even when I was well-behaved, everyone thought I was just pretending to be good. I was already tagged the most notorious girl in class, I felt like I could never change that.”



I could see where she was coming from. We don’t often change our thinking or opinion once we’ve made up our minds about someone.



A kind of bittersweet emotion came upon me. Navya had, no doubt, grown into a thoughtful, smart, and wonderful woman. But I couldn’t forget all the storms that she had weathered to get here.



“Let’s forget the past and celebrate this moment,” she told me as she held my hand. “You always stood by me, supported me, and gave me wings to fly. I will never forget that.”



It was indeed a moment for celebration. Time stood still as I looked at Navya once again. There she was, with faith and determination in her eyes and the vast clear sky above her. She was all ready to take the leap.



First Story
Like this story?
Join World Pulse now to read more inspiring stories and connect with women speaking out across the globe!
Leave a supportive comment to encourage this author
Tell your own story
Explore more stories on topics you care about