Are You Embarrassed?
By Saai Syvendra ·
Have you ever had a reason to hide like this? Was it because you were embarrassed? If it was the case, can you please clap on 3… 1, 2, 3? Madam contest chair and my dear toastmasters, if I were seated there, while someone asked me the same I would have gone clapping on and on. Cause my embarrassments were such.
Let me take you down memory lane to when I was 15 years old. The time when I put my heart and soul into this one thing, which meant the world to me. I am sure all of you have had this feeling. For me, it was my love. I fell head over heels by looking at her picture. She was shining like gold and I was told that love was uncontrolled. As usual I wasn’t the only one. There was another boy who thought the exact same. That’s not it. In order to win her he had an entire set behind him. So did I.
Both of us were working hard for one day, the 14th. The day I would touch her, lift her and kiss her. I’ve been visualising that all night long. Finally, it was that day, the 14th of October. The day of the water polo encounter. My love seated as proudly as ever the trophy of the encounter. I captained my team while the other boy captained the opposition. While it was raining cats and dogs, we emerged victorious 8 goals to 1.
The announcer, "Now I call upon the captain of the winning team to come and collect the trophy" Finally, it was the moment I’d been waiting for. I walked up the stage, touched the trophy, lifted her, and as I was about to kiss her (Cough and drop the trophy) You see the top of the trophy was like a bowl. The rainwater that was collected in it, choked me. I dropped the love of my life! I was standing there amidst the stare which I couldn’t bear. Yet again, I found myself in the middle of darkness and I couldn’t find my way out. That is when I heard those words my dad uttered 10 years ago. “Son, are you embarrassed?” he started. Let me take you even further down memory lane.
I was around 5 years old it was the first time I went to the hill country. The weather was cold yet I was bold to keep my shivers on hold. Imagine yourself on a freezing night amidst a warm fire holding a hot pol roti with spicy lunumiris and taking a bite. That was the picture my parents gave me of the hill country. Little did I know that it was a fantasy. The next morning, I brushed my teeth and wanted to do my morning routine. Surprisingly there was no commode. Sadly at this age I hadn’t heard the word squatting pan, so I had to figure out how to use it. As it looked like a commode, I sat on it like you usually do. When I was wondering how to balance myself, my eyes fell on the handrest on either side. I kept my hands on them and balanced myself. Now the important questio where do my legs go? That is when I noticed that there was a gap between the door and the floor. That connected the dots. I knew that I had to stretch my legs, to put it out through the opening. I was peacefully seated there thinking to myself, “Saai, aren’t you just a genius!”
“Syvendra” My mom was screaming when she saw my legs popping out of the door! Before I got to know what was wrong, everyone else got to know what happened. I was too embarrassed to face them. Until my dad gave one of those talks: “Son, are you embarrassed? Cause it’s alright to be so. Every time you do, you climb one step up!” At that age, I didn’t understand what my dad meant. Ten years later those words made me bend down pick the love of my life and put on a big smile.
My dear toastmasters, don’t be afraid of embarrassment and hide behind something. Like my dad said, embarrassment is a stepping stone. Always remember, embarrassments are expected; accepted; respected; corrected, and never to be repeated!
#Humorous
#2022
#Division