By Afsana Tasnim

One morning, Rita was standing at a traffic signal with a basket of marigold flowers. Whenever any vehicle stopped at a signal, she rushed towards the car to sell flowers. She was only five, barefoot, and wearing torn, ragged clothes. After a while, the signal turned green and she rushed to a safe place. 

Suddenly, a car appeared and she was just about to face an accident. However, a woman in a blue kurta, a UNICEF badge clipped to her chest, rushed out and saved her. She asked, “Are you alright?” Rita stood up, her lips were trembling and she couldn’t say anything. 

After the woman found out that Rita was an orphan, she dropped her off at a nearby orphanage. It looked decent enough – the building was clean, and the staff were caring. The woman left her number and told them, “Her name is Rita. Please keep me updated.” 

The next day, she came back with lots of chocolates and new clothes, but Rita wasn’t there. The orphanage manager too casually said, “She ran away,” but the woman didn’t believe it. It took only one phone call, two visits, and a threat with her ID card for the truth to come out. The orphanage was involved in child trafficking, children were being sold. 

A police raid followed, but the woman had only one focus: finding Rita. She shut it down in forty-eight hours. She found Rita three days later in a government shelter, terrified and silent. This time she didn’t leave her behind. 

Three months later, a colleague stopped by her office. He glanced at the photo frame on her desk – her and Rita laughing together. He asked, “Why did you adopt her?” The woman paused. With an ocean of emotions in her eyes, she said, “Two years ago, I lost my daughter in a road accident. The first time I saw Rita, that glimpse, full of innocence, reminded me of my daughter. I couldn’t resist myself. There was a strange urge that stopped me.”

Now Rita goes to school, plays with her friends, and leads a good life. Though she doesn’t know everything about her life, she knows she is safe. And sometimes, safety is the beginning of everything.