Arey re!

Ah-ha! The beginning of a whole new year. Excited? Erm, I am not. What is so new about the New Year? It comes every year anyway! [Okay, *shifty eyes* I know that was lame but eh, lame sells!!] Only yesterday whilst I was walking to the supermarket to buy grocery, I overheard two girls walking in front of me.

“Arey, tomorrow is New Year!” said one.

“Arey, yeah! Daddy is bringing cake, you know.” Rambled the other in excitement.

“Arey, I am so scared re.” Evidently not listening to a word of what her friend was saying.

I snorted loudly at the many ‘arey’s but the traffic muffled it and I was safe.

“Why are you scared re?” ‘Re’ is another word that riles me up. Talk in English or talk in the local tongue. Why mix the two up!? But eh, who’s gonna listen to me! My friends have already tagged me a foreigner because I am so particular about it.

The apparently scared girl widened her eyes at the one who asked the question.

“You don’t know?” She asked livid, as if it was mandatory for everyone to know.

The other girl shook her head guiltily as if she committed a crime with a tinge of curiosity at the same time. “Tell me no re!”

The girl’s eyes widened even more. “This is our last year!” she said matter-of-factly.

“What? What last year? What are you telling re!?”

“Arey! We are all going to die in December 2012.” She exclaimed and shuddered dramatically.

“Your head. We won’t die. We are so young.”

I laughed at that. So young? When the world comes to an end will be decided based on how old the pair of them is apparently.

Still laughing, I crossed the road fearing they’d hear my laughter and turn round to bellow at me, “Arey! Why are you laughing at us re!?”

People I tell you; especially little girls and boys. They are so naive, so innocent and so ignorant. Their innocence is enough to make you smile or even giggle and shake your head at them; enough to give you a lighter moment and cherish the time when you were a naive, scared child yourself.

[Submitted as an entry in TYX's competition]