Short Story: Barter by Sushma R Doshi

Sushma R. Doshi shares a tender moment where the reader witnesses two stark different realities of life and the impact it has on children.

Raina sits next to her mother in the car manufactured by Toyota. All of six years old. Fair. Cherubic. Dressed in an ice blue dress with frills. Her hair neatly tied in a ponytail. A blue butterfly clip pinned on the right side of the parting of her hair shines in the sunlight filtering through the car windows. It is evident that she is on her way to a birthday party. A gift wrapped up in silver glitter paper rests between her and her mother. Her mother sits with her legs crossed, her head bowed, and eyes poring over her phone. Dressed in a green shirt over jeans, pink nail paint gleams on her fingers. Her toenails are hidden in black high heels. The driver chews tobacco as he maneuvers the car through the heavy traffic in the office rush of the evening.

The car stops at a traffic signal. A knock at the rolled up car window draws Raina’s attention. A child holding some balloons. All of six years old. Thin. Gaunt face but with bright eyes. Dark skin tanned from being in the sweltering sun. Sweaty. Barefoot. Her hair, streaked in dirt, tied in a bun. Wearing a discolored dress. Difficult to imagine what color it had been once,