Ahmed

The expressions on Ahmed’s face were ineffable when I bought him new clothes.

Ahmed, a 9 year old kid, sells flowers on the roads of Karachi. I see him everyday on my way back to work. He has that innocent look on his face, always smiling, the look that says out loud that this kid should really be playing with other kids of his age instead of selling flowers on the streets.

I almost always buy flowers from him whenever I see him. He recognizes my car from a distance and comes running towards me since I have become his regular “customer”. On the days when I am unable to buy anything from him, the disheartened look he gives is heartbreaking.

During last Ramazan, as Eid was approaching, he asked me for Eidi. I handed him a 50 rupees bill, but he refused to accept it and asked me for clothes. I told him to buy clothes from the money I gave him, but he was smart. He said he wanted a ready-made shalwar-qameez suit. I drove off ignoring his innocent demand, thinking he is just a kid, but next time when I saw him, he reminded me that he wanted clothes for Eid. Eventually I decided to buy him some clothes. I don’t know what took me so long, I should have made that decision a lot earlier, but better late than never.

So, yesterday when I drove by the place where he stands, I told him to hop in the car, took him to the clothes shop and got him new clothes. Although he got the clothes after Eid, but there is another Eid coming up in less than two months. I told him he can consider that as an advance Eid gift.

In the end I bought some flowers from him, as usual.