India is a land of stark contrasts...paradoxes on every corner. It's a place where the rich and poor cannot avoid each other. I encounter/interact/engage with street children on a regular basis whether by choice or not. I've had some difficult interacts but this past week I had a very positive interaction with a street girl.
She was selling roses. Her name is Lakme. She wore a beautiful yet wore and dirty dress which had bright yellow and blue flowers printed on it. Her hair was short, dark and matted with dirt. Lakme's eye's were big and intense and they still had a twinkle of hope and innocence in them. She asked if I wanted to buy a flower. I told her I didn't want any but asked her what her name was. She smiled and told me then showed me where her name was tattooed on her arm. Then I told her how beautiful she was and how nice her dress looked on her. She smiled. I asked Lakme how old she was...8. I said that my niece was also 8 and she giggled and her smile grew bigger. Then she reached into her bundle of roses and picked one out. Lakme handed it to me and said it was a gift for me and then she disappeared.
I think I met an angel in disguise.
