Ananya and Riya's Cricket Conversation
Ananya: "Look, Riya! I got a new cricket bat. It's super cool!"
Riya: "Wow, it's shiny. Can I hold it?"
Ananya: "Careful! I hit sixes all the time with this. Coach says I'm the best in the whole school."
Riya: "All the time? Yesterday you missed the ball three times."
Ananya: "That was because the sun was in my eyes. And my shoes were loose. And the pitch was bad."
Riya: "Hmm. I just wanted to play. You keep talking about how great you are."
Ananya: "I'm just telling you my records! Everyone should know how amazing I am."
Riya: "It feels like you’re boasting. It makes me not want to play with you."
Ananya: "But I’m proud of my bat… and my shots."
Riya: "You can be proud. Just don’t make it sound like only you matter."
Amma: "Girls, what’s happening? I can hear you over the pressure cooker."
Riya: "Ananya is boasting about her bat and her sixes. It’s making me feel small."
Ananya: "I didn’t mean to make her feel small, Amma. I just got excited."
Amma: "Excited is fine. But if your words poke someone like chilli in the eye, it’s too much."
Ananya: "Oh. Riya, did my boasting feel like chilli in your eye?"
Riya: "A little. Like green chilli, not red."
Ananya: "Sorry. Let’s just play. You bowl first, I’ll bat. Then we switch."
Riya: "Okay. And if you hit a six, you can do a tiny dance, not big boasting."
Ananya: "Deal. My bat can be shiny without my mouth boasting all the time."