When I taught the underprivileged kids computers last summer, there was this girl who was quite a character. She created a scare when she told the male secretary of the NGO that her father was planning on selling her sister and brother to someone in Goa. The story did not turn out to be true.

She had a crush on that guy and invented the story to get his attention, sympathy and possibly affection.

Its sad actually. She must have been quite troubled.

She would tell me things like "I've seen you walking around the market and I have always wished that I would get a chance to know you. Now look at where I am!'

She left the class without completing it, and school or she would have been in the 8th standard.

Anyway, the thing that is really troubling me is that the other day I saw her strutting down the road at 1a..m. Ive seen her coming home at 6a.m. in the morning when I go for a morning walk, dressed in tight white tights and a sleeveless white top.

Where was she going?
Who gave her those clothes? She didn't have anything better than a hand me down night gown to wear a year ago and now she's wearing fancy clothes. Real fancy.
And she struts.

Frankly speaking she looks like she's just had sex. She has that look of self assuredness and this awareness of her sexuality, but I cannot assume such things. She's also lost her childhood enamor of me, in fact I think she now views me as some sort of competition. But again.. moving too far away from the facts.

I am shocked. Scared and worried.
I just hope that it is some boyfriend racket and not prostitution.

I can't judge her. Her circumstances are different. I am sure she has major family problems, father issues and she is so poor.

But I feel pain. The girl should be in school.