Having Just 2 Eyes: The Sad Tale of My Broken Specs

They say I used to turn my head and stare at the TV screen when the jingle for the Samachar in Doordarshan used to play: at the age of 6months. And when one fine day in the summer vacation, just as I had entered school, my bespectacled cousins got all ready for their bi-monthly trip to the oculist (with the usual snobbish aura) the little me jumped onto the auto too: just for the sake of a trip with the elder duo. And lo & behold, the specs I had to put on later were of a higher power than any of my afore-mentioned cousins.

Thus began my journey with the additional 2 eyes. I still remember the light pink color rounded frames I wore that covered half my face & the itchy shoelace type thingies dangling by the rims that came with it. Thankfully before Shaktimaan entered into the scene the shoelaces were off.

There are many incidents related to my beloved specs, specially in school days. There was this time when the class monitor won’t let me enter the classroom as she claimed I belonged to a different section & she had never seen me before. I put my specs back on to help her with her memory. Ironic that people don’t recognize me without the specs rather than vice-versa!

And then came the mysterious case of twisted frames. I used to leave my specs in the desk(the ones that can be lifted up to put your notebooks in) before going out to the field to play. But each time I returned the specs’ frame would be mangled & twisted. The class teacher came to know of it & issued an ultimatum to the entire class, threatening of dire consequences. But the culprit remained undiscovered. And then during recess one day as I hurriedly put my specs in again a friend returned the pen she had borrowed. I opened the desk again and bingo! There lay my specs mangled again. It was me all the time: impatient & careless, I used to dump the specs in a way that one of the sides used to get stuck in the hinges!

Well now I’m much more careful. I atleast don’t break it myself, others do it for me. Like the time when my sister sat on it. Or the time when I gave it to my friend for safe-keeping & he ran around with it hanging on his shirt front. The latest one died again at the hands of my sister. It was a rimless one hence more fragile than the rest. It’s side had come loose & while getting onto the bus I asked her to hold it for me. Disgusted with this request she held it tight & out popped the frame! I keep telling people that she’s growing into a monster but no one listens. Now they will!

So here I am once again squinting and trying to best use my God-gifted eyes. I miss the crystal clarity of my vision & I miss looking smart. Most of all I hate this constant frown on my face having to squint at every living & nonliving object like some female version of SRK. I bet I’m getting a wrinkle between my eyes soon.