When Her World Turned Golden

The Girl Who Loved Ordinary Days

Naira's story began with ordinary days.

When she was in First Standard, she lived with her grandparents. Their home was filled with little moments that made those days feel warm and happy. Near their house was a very pretty school, and from the very first day, everything seemed to go well. She made new friends, loved her teachers and classmates, and slowly became comfortable in her new surroundings. She was talkative and playful, sometimes quiet, but mostly cheerful—a girl who could get excited about almost anything. She never had one particular best friend during those days. She simply had friends to play with, talk to, and wander around the veranda with during breaks. The school building itself became one of the things she remembered most because so many memories were created inside it. Life at her grandparents’ house was just as fun. Naira usually woke up around five in the morning. After getting ready, she sometimes went to the nearby shop to bring things home. She would have breakfast, watch cartoons, play with the children from the neighbourhood, draw, and spend time with her toys. She did not like studying very much. Playing, drawing, games, and cartoons always seemed much more interesting. Still, she studied a little and went to school every day. Her mornings were sometimes rushed. She would wake up early, but after watching cartoons and having breakfast, the time would suddenly become seven-thirty. Then came the rush to get ready. Sometimes she even forgot her socks or carried her shoes into the auto and wore them after reaching school. School usually ended around three-thirty in the afternoon. As soon as she came home, she would drop her schoolbag, change her clothes, and run outside to play with the neighbourhood children. Six o’clock was supposed to be her deadline. But sometimes, six became six-thirty. Sometimes even seven or eight. And then came the scolding. Still, those days felt wonderful to her. She lived with her grandparents for about one and a half years, and during that time, life felt simple. She had school, friends, cartoons, games, drawing, and plenty of time to play. Then came Second Standard. The beginning was still good. Her section changed from B to A, and she met new people. She made two close friends, and one girl became especially important to her. There was even one unusual evening that stayed in her memory. After school, while she was playing near her grandmother’s house, her grandmother came to scold her. Around the same time, everyone heard that a thief was roaming around the colony. The police arrived, and people gathered around, trying to catch him. For a while, everything still felt exciting and normal. But slowly, things changed. Her midterm marks were not good. She failed some subjects, and some children began teasing her about her appearance and schoolwork. A few people who had once talked to her started keeping their distance.The happiness she had known during the first part of Second Standard slowly began to fade. Then, there was a sickness outbreak, and life changed again. For the next few years, she stayed at home and continued her studies from there. When Fifth Standard began, everything seemed to start smoothly. The first few months were good. She had two friends who were close to her. One of them was a good friend, and Naira was becoming very close to her. But the other friend became jealous because her friend was getting so close to Naira. One day, the close friend suddenly began ignoring her. Naira did not understand why. Later, she found out that the other girl had told her friend that Naira could not read and write properly and that staying close to her would hurt her grades. It was a misunderstanding that had been created between them. Naira tried to fix things, and eventually, they became friends again. But the friendship did not feel exactly the same anymore. The other girl also liked showing off the things she had. Once, she proudly talked about a pen her uncle had bought from Dubai and how expensive it was. Naira became irritated by the way she kept showing it off. Around the same time, Naira’s marks became poor again. She failed most of her subjects and passed only one or two. There were also problems at home, and her attendance at school became irregular.She had already begun to dislike school because of what had happened before. She was afraid of being left without anyone to talk to. Eventually, the people around her stopped including her. During games and PT periods, everyone would gather in their own groups while Naira was left alone. Sometimes she would simply walk around the ground three or four times. Then, something unexpected happened. During the Fifth Standard, she joined tuition. A sir used to pick up Naira and her brother. About a week after she joined, the sir stopped near her school and told them that another student would be joining the car. There were now three students. That was how Naira met him. He was from the same school as Naira and was a senior there. At first, she simply thought he was handsome, sweet, cool, and nice. He was gentle with everyone and seemed like a genuinely good person. Naira did not understand why she suddenly felt different whenever she noticed him. Their first conversation was very simple. He asked her brother about the time. Her brother asked Naira, and because she had her phone with her, she told them the time. For about a week, he mostly talked to her brother. Whenever her brother said something completely wrong or silly, Naira would interrupt and correct him. Then one day, she needed help with a maths problem. Since the boy went to the same school as her, she assumed he might know how to solve it. So she asked him for help. He explained division and helped her understand the problem. Even now, Naira still could not properly do that particular division problem. But she remembered how patiently he had taught her. After that, they slowly began talking more. A simple “Hi.” ,“How are you?” ,“Good evening.” ,“Goodbye.” ,“Goodnight.” Nothing about those conversations seemed extraordinary. Yet Naira enjoyed every little moment. She liked talking to him. She liked when he helped her with studies. She liked sitting near him during the rides. She liked seeing him at school and joking around with him. And somehow, she liked knowing that she would see him again. She did not know exactly when her feelings changed. Maybe it happened slowly. Maybe it happened all at once. She only knew that, after so many little moments together, she had begun to like him. Then came the last day of tuition. Her class and all her tasks were already finished around six in the evening, but her usual time to go home was eight. So she and the others were sitting together, talking and laughing. The boy was studying nearby. Naira told him that it was her last class and that she would not be coming the next day. He looked surprised.They talked for a while, and he told her that they should have some fun before she left. Naira said that her exams were coming and she did not know what they could do. He finished his studies. Then, suddenly, he started singing a song and teasing her. Naira became embarrassed. “Stop it!” she told him, laughing. He continued teasing her. She playfully tried to hit him to make him stop while her brother sat nearby and listened to everything. When it was finally time to leave, she said goodbye. The goodbye felt strangely special to her. She did not know why. She only knew that something about that day felt different. After leaving tuition, she still saw him at school. They met during playtime, lunch, and water breaks. His class was near the water tap, so she often found herself going there and talking to him. For a while, seeing him became something she looked forward to every day. She could not go to school properly for about two weeks because of some family problems. Eventually, she decided she needed to attend school properly again. But then, family problems happened. For the next three or four months, she did not attend school. When she finally returned for the final exams, one of the first things she did was look for him. But she could not find him. Not at school. Not where she expected him to be. Nowhere. Later, after some time, Naira went back to the place where the tuition had been held. That was when she found out that he had left the tuition. She did not know why. There was no explanation waiting for her. Only the strange feeling of suddenly losing someone who had quietly become important to her. She felt sad, disappointed, surprised, and confused. She kept wondering where he had gone and why she could no longer find him. She had never understood what that feeling had been when it first appeared. And now, she did not understand how someone could become such a big part of her thoughts and then simply disappear from her everyday life. But life did not stop. Naira had more chapters ahead of her. And she was slowly beginning to learn that some people stay for a long time, some leave unexpectedly, and some leave behind questions that take years to answer.