The Boy Called Only!

Today, I am going to talk about a boy, whose name is Only (K**** in Hindi), who lives in our building. By the way, we do not know most of the people in our building, since they keep changing homes often and most of the families are turned against us by our tormentor, before we even get introduced to each other.
About 2 years back this boy, who was 8 years old then, on the insistence of Our Lady of Intolerance’s son, gestured in a dirty way looking at me. The boy had also called me a pr******** in Hindi on another day and ran away into hiding. I really wonder if he knows what that means. Mom and I caught up with him and demanded an explanation. He apologized and said that he would not do it swearing on his mother. Despite this, this boy’s father made him repeat the cuss word 2-3 times right in front of our door, during our evening pooja. Our Lady of Intolerance has made it a point to tell everyone that if they abuse us verbally while we do pooja – morning and evening – they will benefit financially and otherwise.
These people don’t know that though I am single I have several nephews and nieces not just blood relations, who are very close to me. If Only had behaved normally with me, he would have been included in the crowd. But I found the whole situation hilarious, looking at our age difference and started teasing him, “Shame shame puppy shame.”
Since then the moment he sees that I am nearby, he runs away and hides somewhere or the other. And I pity him because I am sure that he is going to live with that guilt all his life.
Let me tell you that this boy’s father I am told is a teacher. This man once commented standing in front of our closed door what is the need for studying so much. He was talking about me, I realized. This was much before formal introductions happened. I don’t understand how a teacher can dictate his own opinions to someone whom he hardly knows. If the parents have this mindset, children are bound to go astray.