“Mama, aaj my stomach is paining a lot. Kya karoon?” says Mani while holding his stomach and grimacing. His facial features are all twisted with pain. He is moving around and following all my commands, just keeps on repeating that all is not well with him.
I glance at the clock and tell him to go relieve himself, so that he will feel better. I don’t have time to sit and analyze the yesterday’s food articles he ate. I am just running around all hassled up making sure everything is in place and start calling Manveer. He comes around and gives me a look that says- you lousy mother, here I am not feeling good and you are just not worried about me …..
I somehow weather his look and take him to the washroom to freshen him up. He follows me with a strange mix of expression on his face: scowl and pain
After doing all his ablutions, we are back in the room when he simply cries out with pain and accusation all put together in his voice, “Mama, I said my stomach is paining and you are not even bothering to listen to me or even are not giving me any medicine!!”
I again ignore his remark and go ahead with getting him ready. That is when tears start rolling down his cheeks with a sad, painful look in his eyes………….. I stop, look at him hard and long. He stares back at me ……..while this duel of stare is going on, a voice reaches us from somewhere in the background, it says something like “Monday ko mere bhi stomach mein bahut pain hoti hai”. With lots of effort we peal our eyes off from each other and look at the source of the sound. It turns out to be Jatinder who is standing there with a smirk on his face.
“Manveer, I will go and get some medicine for you…….ok? Just wait, I’ll be right back.”
Manveer takes the medicine and we can see a faint glow spreading on his face…….. “Magic, Papa!! I am already feeling better. Thank you!!!!”
Jatinder smiles back at him and give him a bear hug.
Manveer is all ready and set to leave for first day of his school after a long holiday break.
I must say, sometimes a little compassion and a sip of water with honey is all that is needed to make all the Monday blues to go away……….. I just wish it was this easy to whisk away all our concerns and worries also. Truly it is only when we have childlike innocence can we move ahead in life with none of the so called past ghosts to scare us.
Time is like a grain of sand , here now ...gone tomorrow. My son, Manveer , is growing up so quickly that I am left watching him with great awe and pride in my eyes...... he is creating a trail of memories every moment .... this is my attempt to catch those moments and store them.......keep them alive , bubbling, gurgling with life forever.............
