Nevinka went to her family’s store to say goodbye. Today she would leave Sri Lanka to study law in America. Her uncle Nelith who was already a U.S. citizen had offered to pay her tuition in exchange for help with his 2-year-old twins.
Of course to her horribly old-fashioned parents, Uncle Nelith was a traitor for leaving his homeland, and now a thief for stealing their only daughter. As she sat on the steps of the soda shop, childhood memories threatened her adventurous spirit. “Come and play,” the wet stone street seemed to echo as the thick, syrupy scents wafted from the empty store.
“Where is everyone?” Nevinka asked out loud to no one.
The night before she had prayed Mama and Papa would give her their blessing. But now her eyes stung and her throat choked with worry. Her parents were long overdue from the beachside market. Surely they'd get back to the store in time to at least say goodbye.
Suddenly townsfolk appeared out of nowhere, running north through the square, frantic with fear. Nevinka jumped up, leaving her bags on the steps and grabbed an old-timer’s arm.
“What is it? Why are you running?”
The man stopped and held her slender face with both hands. Looking wildly into her eyes he said one single word before fleeing. She knew what the word meant but she’d never heard it uttered with such terror.
Hi I'm Adrienne from Karyn's Wirter's Group. Here's my version of the woman in the picture:
Sheetal Bhatia’s story is not that of the typical actress. Here she was, at the age of 24, her career washed up and her future uncertain.
Her adventure began six years ago, when she was discovered by Bollywood’s hottest up-and-coming director Monohar Eastwood. He changed his last name determined one day to be a big name in Hollywood. He was passing through Sheetal’s hometown on a location scouting trip when he saw her in the village of Tehata.
That face. It grabbed him instantly, and he knew she was the perfect woman to play the sister of the main character in his next film.
Sheetal’s parents, barely providing a living for their nine children, were thrilled when Monotar approached them about taking Sheetal back to Bollywood. The chance to have their eldest daughter begin making money that would not only support her but the family as well was more than they could hope for.
After some acting lessons, Sheetal was a hit in her first film. Men from around India were abuzz about the new young actress. She quickly became a star and was bringing throngs of fans into the theaters.
Then it all came crashing down with one big misunderstanding. A reporter thought he saw her in an uncompromising position with the married co-star in her latest film, and within hours it was India’s biggest news story. The scandal was more than her career could bear.
Of course, it wasn’t true, but even Monohar, her biggest fan and the man she really loved, couldn’t save her from the firestorm of outrage. She was no longer useful in Bollywood.
Beaten down and humiliated, Sheetal got on a bus. After the bus ride back to Tehata, she plopped down in front of one of the stores in the local market to gather the courage to go home.
How could she possibly face her parents? Would they welcome her with open arms or would they also cast her out, ashamed of the person they assumed she had become? How would she restore her name? How would she go on?
2 comments:
Nevinka went to her family’s store to say goodbye. Today she would leave Sri Lanka to study law in America. Her uncle Nelith who was already a U.S. citizen had offered to pay her tuition in exchange for help with his 2-year-old twins.
Of course to her horribly old-fashioned parents, Uncle Nelith was a traitor for leaving his homeland, and now a thief for stealing their only daughter. As she sat on the steps of the soda shop, childhood memories threatened her adventurous spirit. “Come and play,” the wet stone street seemed to echo as the thick, syrupy scents wafted from the empty store.
“Where is everyone?” Nevinka asked out loud to no one.
The night before she had prayed Mama and Papa would give her their blessing. But now her eyes stung and her throat choked with worry. Her parents were long overdue from the beachside market. Surely they'd get back to the store in time to at least say goodbye.
Suddenly townsfolk appeared out of nowhere, running north through the square, frantic with fear. Nevinka jumped up, leaving her bags on the steps and grabbed an old-timer’s arm.
“What is it? Why are you running?”
The man stopped and held her slender face with both hands. Looking wildly into her eyes he said one single word before fleeing. She knew what the word meant but she’d never heard it uttered with such terror.
“Tsunami!”
Hi I'm Adrienne from Karyn's Wirter's Group. Here's my version of the woman in the picture:
Sheetal Bhatia’s story is not that of the typical actress. Here she was, at the age of 24, her career washed up and her future uncertain.
Her adventure began six years ago, when she was discovered by Bollywood’s hottest up-and-coming director Monohar Eastwood. He changed his last name determined one day to be a big name in Hollywood. He was passing through Sheetal’s hometown on a location scouting trip when he saw her in the village of Tehata.
That face. It grabbed him instantly, and he knew she was the perfect woman to play the sister of the main character in his next film.
Sheetal’s parents, barely providing a living for their nine children, were thrilled when Monotar approached them about taking Sheetal back to Bollywood. The chance to have their eldest daughter begin making money that would not only support her but the family as well was more than they could hope for.
After some acting lessons, Sheetal was a hit in her first film. Men from around India were abuzz about the new young actress. She quickly became a star and was bringing throngs of fans into the theaters.
Then it all came crashing down with one big misunderstanding. A reporter thought he saw her in an uncompromising position with the married co-star in her latest film, and within hours it was India’s biggest news story. The scandal was more than her career could bear.
Of course, it wasn’t true, but even Monohar, her biggest fan and the man she really loved, couldn’t save her from the firestorm of outrage. She was no longer useful in Bollywood.
Beaten down and humiliated, Sheetal got on a bus. After the bus ride back to Tehata, she plopped down in front of one of the stores in the local market to gather the courage to go home.
How could she possibly face her parents? Would they welcome her with open arms or would they also cast her out, ashamed of the person they assumed she had become? How would she restore her name? How would she go on?
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