8

Super Dramatic Filmi Mornings

Open your eyes Amma”, he whispered into my ears.
“Today is Sivaratri, you may sleep for some more time.” I replied with my eyes still shut. Turning the whisper into a roar, he snapped back poking my eyelids, No Amma... I can see light through the window. It cannot be ratri for Shiva”.

That was how Sivaratri began at home, a no-school day for my son. Holiday for him means I don't need to drag myself out of the bed very early to stuff in toothbrush into his mouth, implant milk & breakfast into the same mouth, pull him out of the pyjamas, dress up, bury his legs into the shoes and send him to school. 

I'm sure every mom reading this will nod their heads in agreement; but what about the dads who sleep with drooling mouths when so much is happening in the background? Their reaction could be, “Oh; I've heard this somewhere!

To every non-parent who thinks what's the big deal about this routine, I can explain.

Waking up early to see silent & dark neighboring houses is quite depressing. I hate to even visualise them snuggling under the blanket when I'm already awake to take on the day. Yes I admit, I'm jealous. For a person like me who has zero to minimum flair for cooking, kitchen is not the place to start off the day. And whenever I enter there, I look at the dosa batter sitting on the table wishing if it magically turns into consumable food and redirects to respective tummies and lunch boxes. Alas; unfortunately life's not that easy!

Couple of days ago, when I was preparing morning tea & breakfast, the little fellow came to me rubbing his eyes, “Amma... I want to go to Cubbon Park. I will not go to school today. Totally ignoring the statement, I took him to the rest room and asked him to brush his teeth. When he noticed the picture of Mickey Mouse on his toothbrush, he began, When Donald was trapped on a tree top, the mouseketeer..."
Me: Shhh... Keep quiet.
Lil Fellow: Don't talk to me; Amma's not my friend.
Me (trying to be nice): Do you know what happened to Bobby's teeth cos he didn't brush well?
Lil Fellow: If you don't want to listen to my story, don't tell me Bobby's story.

I took a deep breadth to hide my impatience and exasperation. As I listened to his Disney tales, he successfully completed the rest room rituals. From there I towed him to the dining table placing him before a glass of milk and went back to the kitchen to finish my work. Even after five minutes, he was seen holding the glass looking into infinity, totally expressionless. I yelled, “What is there so much to think about? Finish your milk. FAST!

He reciprocated with a yawn. And with a baffling stretch, he was all set to embrace the day. He started blowing into the glass to make bubbles and in the process, spilled it all over. I screamed so loudly that I would have perhaps put my next door neighbor to shame for sharing the floor with a child abuser. Not having enough time to waste on more drama, I forcefully made him gulp down rest of the drink. Next, I served dosa and asked him to finish it soon. Though a portion was deposited in the fish bowl and smudged against the table, I was glad that without my involvement, he consumed some bit of it.

As I was helping him dress to school, he asked, Amma, can I come to your office?”
Me: No. my mam in office doesn't like kids coming to work.
Lil Fellow: Then, can we go to a restaurant?
Me: Yes, we could go in the evening.
Lil Fellow: Okay. Then I will get ready in the evening.

Before I could even react, he removed his trousers & tee & jumped around in underwear. I was feeling bad for my vocal cord as I had no choice but to shout again. Cutting the long story short, somehow I managed to step out of the house with him feeling like a champion.

On our way to the bus stop, we laughed and conversed with every flower, grass blade and butterfly. Just before boarding the bus, he gave me a tight hug saying, “You are prettier Amma, when you smile!” 

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