“None of my
friends are going. So I don’t want to go” declared Anna.
“Now, now,
don’t be unreasonable. You are the only girl chosen from the school.” We tried
to make her understand.
“I would
rather go to school and play with my friends” said Anna.
“You know,
my dear, you can play with your friends any day but the Queen doesn’t come to
Muscat every day” I tried my best to convince her.
“But I don’t
know who she is” said Anna.
“If you go,
you will get to see her and know who she is” we told her.
“But why did
the Girlguiding people choose only me from my school? It is not fair” Anna pouted.
“They had a
lucky draw. And you were the lucky girl chosen to go” we explained.
“Really? Am
I so lucky?” She felt good about that.
“Yes, dear.
It is not nice to refuse when Luck has been so good to you” we told her.
“Hmm...okay,
I will go. But please don’t make me wear those tight black shoes. Can I go in
my crocs?” Anna asked.
“Sorry,
dear. You have to dress nicely when you go to see the Queen” we said.
“Why?”
“That’s the
rule, that’s why.” Yes, rules are rules.
***
On the day
the Queen came to Muscat, Anna dressed formally in her Rainbows uniform and wore her
black shoes.
In the
afternoon, Anna came home with two flags in her little Indian hands – one British and the other Omani.
“The Queen
is such a kind old lady. She smiled and waved at all of us. And she wore a pretty dress, gloves, a hat
and really nice shoes. I was glad I wore my best shoes too.”
A picture of
the Queen talking to the Girl guides appeared in the newspaper the next day.
Anna saw herself
in the picture standing in front of the Queen.
She said, “I think this meeting was really important. I am happy I went although she didn't look any different from the picture in the newspaper.”
(Queen Elizabeth II visited Oman on 27th November 2010. She is the patron of Girlguiding which is a leading charity for girls and young women. For more information you may visit their website:
http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/about_us.aspx )
http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/about_us.aspx )
