Until now, he had never known what pure happiness actually felt like. Now he knows: happiness is the little girl sitting opposite him.

 He gets into the bus. It’s the same as every day. Same time, same destination. The same old woman squabbling because no one offers her a seat. It’s the same old story.Or should he say, almost the same? This time there’s something different. A crystal ball of emotion sits opposite him and it seems as if he is the only one who can see her.

Words fail to describe the girl. She could be 13 or 30; it will never be known. To her, it simply won’t matter. She is still happy, despite knowing that no one is happy with her being around. She has a huge spot on her face. It burnt.

No one likes looking at her. Nobody would take the empty seat beside her. She waves and smiles at everyone. They ignore her but it does not affect that girl. Her smile still remains beautiful than any of those toothpaste advertisements. She has the impression of a child on her way to Disneyland. She doesn’t feel embarrassed of that spot.

As he observes her, she melts his heart as the sun melts the ice. She doesn’t mind it when people turn away from her. She is least bothered. The more they ignore her, the more she waves, sings and jumps around her seat.

The girl gets up from her seat and comes towards him. She holds his hand. She looks at him and sits on his lap. She starts plying with his CD player. Everyone stares with disgust but he’s comfortable. Instead, he feels at ease.

She smiles and moves without uttering a word. Others are astonished. She isn’t ashamed. 

The bus stops and he reaches his destination. As usual, a tatty toddler laughs at his black skin. Normally, he would get mad at him but this time he didn’t. He looks at himself in the mirror and for the first time does not get sad because of his black skin as for the first time, someone didn’t see him as a crow in a flock of doves on the bus. For her, he was just another bird like the rest.

The girl taught him more in twenty-five minutes than any book, video or teacher has ever taught him.