Part 1 Champion

A girl was standing outside a sweet shop without thinking about the cold weather in Delhi. Her father was working as a SWEET-MASTER in the shop. Though her father was a KEY person in the sweet stall, he didn't get good pay. He had been working in the shop for more than twenty years. The Sweet Stop was getting a profit only because of his talent. Yet, he was still a middle-class man. Of course, he got many offers from their opponent shops, but being a loyal man, he refused them.

His daughter Khushi was studying eighth standard in a Government school. Her School would start at 9:30 am. She visited her father's sweet shop every day before going to school because there was a school near her father's shop called Prince and Princess. It was a Royal School. All the BIG-SHOT children of Delhi studied in that school. Khushi liked their UNIFORM. A poor girl like her could not even dream of such a uniform with a coat and tie. Not only Khushi but many children of Delhi longed for the uniform. A light bluish-grey shirt with dark grey pants and tie attracted her like anything. It was their WINTER uniform. The uniform would be standard with a shirt and pants in summer and rainy seasons. She could see that uniform only for three months. She can't even spend money on NEW uniforms every year, but Prince and Princess's schoolchildren spend thousands on coats for just three months of use.

The school bell rang, and the main gate was closed. She came back home, and her mother, Garima, saw her entering.

"You came?"

Khushi smiled.

"I don't know what's in the uniform", she sighed.

"Are not the children of the school looking beautiful in the uniform?" Khushi said longingly.

"Are not you beautiful?" came from behind.

Khushi pouted, seeing her father.

"They are beautiful only in the royal uniform, but my princess is always beautiful in a simple dress," Shashi said, bringing a smile to Khushi's face.

"Babuji, could you get me such a coat?" She asked pleadingly.

"Ok, I will buy a coat, but where will you wear it?"

Khushi bit her nail.

"The dress will lose pride if you wear it to a simple place. So, improve your STANDARD. So that you will get a deserving place to wear a coat."

"How could I improve myself?" Khushi asked innocently.

"Study well...! Keep Abdul Kalamji's words in your mind Always. Everything will happen automatically."

"Haannn... complete your daily work without pending. Right?"

"Exactly... don't postpone your work. Complete them on time. Then, you will be stress-free for your exams. Then you can also become like a Great Abdul Kalamji. He also belonged to a low-income family like us, but he touched the peak... there is no one like him, right?"

"Haan Babuji. I like Kalam sir very much"

"Yeah, take him as your inspiration and work hard."

Khushi nodded ok cheerfully.

After that, she started scoring good marks in all the exams as she gave her best in her studies.

That was when their school SPORTS day came. Her classmate Jacqueline wanted to participate in the games as she ran fast. She knew she would surely win but she was hesitating because there was no one for her company. After all, they were small children. She came to Khushi and asked,

"Khushi, shall we participate in the games?"

"Me? But I won't run fast..." she said, blinking rapidly.

"I know. Just give it a try, like me. I, too, don't run much fast..." she lied.

Khushi looked at her friend Preeto thoughtfully.

"Come on Khushi..." Jacqueline insisted. She knew Khushi was a SOFT-TOY type of girl. She could not win the race. Jacqueline was confident about it. That was why she invited Khushi.

Khushi nodded. She didn't know how she had gained the courage. She went to the ground with Jacqueline and saw seventh—and eighth-standard children waiting for their event to start.

"Are seventh-standard students going to run with us?" Khushi asked.

"Yes, It's JUNIOR's category. The sixth standard student will come under the SUB-Junior category. Seventh and eighth standard are Juniors, Ninth and tenth standard students are Seniors, and Eleventh and Twelfth standard students are SUPER SENIORS," Jacqueline explained.

"Oh..."

They saw their school's physical instructor coming with a wooden CLAP.

"All of you ready?"

"Yes, sir," the students said.

"You can participate in FOUR events, two TRACK and two FIELD events. Choose which ones are good for you. The first event is the HUNDRED-meter running race. Students who will not participate can come out of the track."

As Khushi didn't know about the RACE, she stood on the track. She saw seven girls standing with her.

"Only eight?" the PET master asked.

"Yes, sir," The senior student who was with a notepad to MARK the winners said.

"Ok then, we will go for DIRECT FINALS... get ready participants..."

The girls stopped in their tracks. Of course, Khushi was also blind about the race.

"You should start running ONLY after hearing the CLAP sound. If you move before that, you will be disqualified" he warned and went behind them.

"On your marks... Get set... Go..."

That was all Khushi heard. She didn't know how she ran. She was in the lead from the beginning. A hundred-meter race needed a good performance from beginning to end. A single second of delay was enough to be defeated. Though Khushi didn't know anything, she did her best. She wondered when she crossed the finishing line FIRST. She could not believe she could run. Preeto, who was standing at the finishing line to cheer her up, hugged her.

"Khushiiii... you won..."

Khushi looked at her unbelievably.

"Hey, what's your name?" The senior boy asked.

"Khushi Gupta, eighth standard A section" She looked at Jacqueline who was SECOND.

"Would you run this much faster?" She asked, not showing her disappointment.

"I don't know," Khushi said with a hard breath.

The win gave Khushi NEW confidence. She participated in the Two Hundred Meter race and again won first prize. Jacqueline came second in the race. But Khushi could not get first place in the Long Jump. She won second, and Jacqueline was first. Their class won first in the relay race. Of course, if there were Khushi and Jacqueline, their class would have to win first.

Khushi won the individual CHAMPIONSHIP in the junior category, which was unexpected. She didn't even know about the Championship trophy.

"I should not have invited you," Jacqueline said, showing her disappointment.

Khushi came home with a championship cup, completing the sports day.

"Babuji... I'm the champion," she said excitedly.

Shashi and Garima were pleased.

"So, there was a PT. Usha hiding in you...!" Shashi smiled.

"Even I can't believe this Babuji. I didn't know how I ran faster than everyone."

"It's in your blood. That's why you can run without any practice."

Khushi nodded yes.

"So, practice every day... you may win medals for India in the future," he said, only to appreciate her.

Khushi's eyes sparkled because she saw Sportsmen who participated for India in international meets wore a COAT.

"I can wear a coat then, right?"

"Khushi, won't you leave the coat?" Garima chuckled.

"Amma, do you know what it looks like?" She said dreamingly.

"Yeah, you can wear a coat... fly on the flight... you can get everything."

"Really?"

"Yes... anyone can study... but not everyone can run. It's a special feature. Do it," Shashi appreciated.

Khushi's school P.E.T. master became close to Khushi because she sincerely obeyed all his commands. He trained her interestingly, and Khushi won prizes in the ZONAL sports meet in which a few schools participated.

Khushi became an unavoidable sports girl in their school and won the championship every year.

Years passed in the blink of an eye...!

She was promoted to twelfth standard. Her present aim was to win medals in the STATE MEET for her school, as she won her first Gold in the District meet that year. She practised sincerely for the meet. At the same time, she didn't compromise her studies because she wanted to be her family's first graduate.

Though she became a Champion, she could not stop ogling at the Uniform of the Prince and Princess school.

One day...

She came to her father's shop as usual. She jerked, hearing a truck stopping with an ear-piercing sudden brake. She was horrified, seeing the boy falling on the road in the pool of blood. He was the son of a sweeper and studied at her school. Khushi ran towards the boy. The public surrounded the boy but hesitated to be near him. Khushi entered the crowd. She got stuck, seeing a Princes and Princess School student in her favourite Uniform, picking the boy in his arms without caring about his costly uniform getting spoilt. He ran, taking the boy in his arms, and got into an auto while saying,

"Go to the MH hospital."

Khushi stood looking at the boy unbelievably because she thought students of Prince and Princess school would not be kind but haughty. She was not wrong, though. The way they looked at others was haughty, but this boy didn't seem so because she saw nervousness on his face. The one who could feel others' pain would not be haughty, she supposed.

To be continued...