Joyie's Holiday Season!

"Last 15 minutes", the teacher said. Joyie had finished answering her Math exam paper much within time. After the teacher's announcement Joyie quickly went through her answers again to spot any mistakes and correct them. But more than this, her mind was jumping with excitement as she thought "Just 15 minutes, then I will be free. Can't wait to go home and plan for the summer vacation". As the bell rang and teacher collected the students exam paper, Joyie like all kids rushed happily out of the class to collect her belongings and head home. Joyie boarded the school bus waiting for the kids.

She saw her friend Jenny and went and sat next to her. After exchanging pleasantries, Jenny asked Joyie what her plans were for the summer vacation. Joyie's face lit up and she excitingly said she planned to visit her Grandma who is staying in the village. She elaborated further that she planned on visiting her aunts and uncles, play with her cousins, go to local theatre shows, go to the local annual fair, eat delicious food, swim in the ponds, go for picnics during the summer vacation. Soon the bus reached Joyie's home, and Joyie got down the bus. She went running to her mother to discuss the plan.

When she goes inside, Joyie's mother excitingly hands over an envelope to Joyie and asks her to open it. Joyie suspiciously open it and is shocked. She finds in it the air tickets to yet another foreign country. Joyie's mother screams "Surprise! How do you like it!". Joyie gets disappointed that yet another year they will be travelling abroad and not seeing their grandma. This was the fifth year. She dejectedly asks "Mom weren't we going to visit Grandma this year, as you said earlier". Her Mom replies "Oh dear! Common now, we need to roam around the world and visit all the beautiful places. What's there in a village. We will go some other time. Now common start packing for the trip. Hurry!". Dejected, Joyie nods her head and goes to her room, her eyes welling up as she feels the pain of not seeing her grandma and cousins at the village, yet another year.