The Bench Under the Neem Tree

In the school yard, there was one long bench under a neem tree.

Some children sat there to tie laces. Some sat there to finish lunch. Some sat there when they wanted a little shade before going back to play.

One afternoon, Leela and Farhan were drawing game ideas in the dust with a stick. They were planning a pretend market with leaf plates, pebble coins, and a line of bottle caps for fruit.

As they talked, Leela noticed Aarushi standing near the tree trunk with both hands behind her back.

Aarushi was close enough to see the game, but not close enough to join it.

Leela watched for a moment. Aarushi looked interested, then uncertain, then very still.

Farhan had already begun arranging bottle caps in rows. 'These are mangoes. These are guavas. These are oranges,' he said.

Leela nodded, but her eyes went back to Aarushi.

She remembered a different day when she had wanted to join a skipping game and had not known what to say.

Leela moved a little to the side and tapped the bench.

'We are making a market,' she said. 'Do you want to make the signboard?'

Aarushi blinked once, as if the words had taken a second to land.

'A signboard?' she asked.

'Yes,' Farhan said, now looking up. 'We need someone to write the names of the fruit.'

Aarushi came closer. She did not sit down right away. First she watched. Then she picked up a twig. On the smooth patch of ground beside the bench, she wrote MANGOES in careful letters.

Farhan grinned. 'Now it looks real,' he said.

After that, the game changed. Aarushi made small price circles beside each fruit. Leela folded leaves into plates. Farhan announced, 'Shop is open!'

Soon three more children came near the bench to buy pretend fruit with pretend coins.

When the bell rang, Aarushi smiled at the signboard before brushing the dust from her knees.

Leela smiled too. Sometimes making space did not need a long speech. Sometimes it began with one small invitation under one shady tree.