NIRAJ PUDASAINI

They know me but they don’t know me

This is an interesting story that has occurred to me. Our football team (Nepal Youth Association) was playing a football tournament as Mulpani, ktm. I was not that good football player but I was key one of the team. We started the tournament with win and finally reached the final. We played the entire tournament with zeal and alacrity and our effort did not go in vain as we reached in the finals. During the tournament our juvenile team showed the beautiful game. I scored some wonderful goals and assisted others in scoring goals. People of the area used to come to see our game, cheer for us and enjoy the game how we played. At that time my hair was long and I used to bind with a rubber band like that of great Zlatan or say Gareth Bale. So, I was known as the guy with a long hair (jhyapley). In the final game we were underdogs and eventually lost the game with another team consisting of A division and national players in a tiebreaker (game finished 1-1 at full time). I was selected as the best player of the tournament. People know our team and me as a player with a long hair.
The twist arises when our junior team went to play the tournament at the same ground. I and my friends went to have a chiya (tea) on a chiya pasal (shop) near the ground. This time I have already trimmed my long hair. When we are having the tea, the only thing we talk most of the time is football (who won’t). We told other locals who were having tea in the same shop about our junior team and our journey to final few months back. They praised our team and eventually talk about the guy with long hair who have a good skill and how he makes the game more fluent and beautiful. I was there in front of the people, listening my own praise from others but they don’t know me that time as I have short hair. They know me but they don’t know me now.
Eventually one of my pals told them that the guy they were talking was me. They know me now. I was blushed and they smiled with little nervousness and little shyness. The tea in our glasses was already finished so we took a goodbye and went to watch our junior’s football game which they lost.