by Anupama Krishnakumar
“So, what’s the news today?” is the first question
I would ask him every evening, when I pick him up
from school. And he, my son, on some days, would
say, “Nothing special, just the usual things.”
On certain days, though, he would have a faint smile
on his lips and he would respond, “I’ll tell you in the car.”
“Ok…” I would say, my heart racing, the excitement
climbing to my head in a dizzying swirl.
He knows how to keep an interesting little surprise
on hold and unwrap it like a delicate present within
the comforting confines of the car. And then, he would
lift the veil on the suspense: a star, a certificate, an all-
correct assessment, or a nice remark from a teacher.
A wide smile and a hug, and a kiss of joy and pride
would be my gift. Soon, we would move on to other matters.
Ma, you know, this happened today and that. And music.
Snaking our way through nerve-wrecking traffic, our next stop
would be daughter’s school. We would invariably find her
in the sand-pit, engrossed, making cupcakes and castles with her
little friends. They are heart-stealers, each one of them, full of
innocent laughter and delight. Later, when we’d have settled
inside the car, she would pull out her lunch box. “Ma, I finished,”
she would exclaim. On certain days, when she doesn’t, she would
have ingenious reasons. The workings of a three-year-old’s mind!
The Daughter is definitely Miss Funny Bones. She would
turn the car into one entertainment box. And the Son
is the type who finds all her antics amusing.
“I wrote letter D,” she would announce with an air
of pride. And then suddenly burst into a song. All that
the Son would need to screech and giggle. And that,
would be fuel for more entertainment. She would
pull his ear and say, “I’ll tell you a secret, Brother!”
Tickled, he would laugh. She would, too, and throw
more stuff our way. “I coloured today, I climbed the slide.
What did you do?” “Well, serious stuff,” he would respond.
She would look thoughtful and ask, “Are you good or bad?”
A moment of silence and a burst of infectious laughter…
We would laugh and laugh till our stomachs hurt.
Till our eyes grew watery with joy.
Such are our evenings on the way back from school.
