Category: Birthday
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Cake, Gifts and Balloons
I walk quietly, my footfall muffled by the carpet. The silence from Laddu’s room is reassuring. I am about to walk downstairs when the mess that is Ammu’s room catches my eye. I step inside annoyance ruffling my Zen. I pick the blanket up to fold and my eyes are drawn to the handmade card…
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Here’s to me!
A bang wakes me from a jet lag induced stupor. It is midnight. As my eyes get used to the darkness I realize with a start that it is my birthday. A smile curves into my face and I cuddle laddu as I sink back into sleep. Three hours later, all of us are awake…
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Shhh! Surprise!!
I stand on the driveway, laddu in my left arm, her weight starting to tell. The sun beats down mercilessly. The air is pregnant with moisture. My tee-shirt sticks to my back. I feel irritation creep into my voice as ammu and pattu insist there is no better day than today to bike. The heat…
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Milestones – 5 years!
I feel you before I hear you. Your tiny hand is on my forehead. My eyes flutter awake to your “Can you wake Appa so he can put me in bed?” I absently shake Saathi who sleep-walks you to bed before he falls back in his a few minutes later. I am wide awake now.…
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Stars and wishes
“Good friends are like stars. You do not always see them. But you know they are always there.” Admiration, Annoyance, Affection, Frustration, Pride, Envy, Freedom, Insecurity, Hurt, Guilt and Happiness. A friendship that has seen the spectrum of emotions from good to bad and then more. Sixteen years of knowing, growing and evolving together. An…
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Rays of sunshine
Dear Ammu and Pattu, Today has been a day of anticipation. As I put the two of you to bed and blew air kisses, the last thing I did was to whisper “Happy Birthday baby!” to each of you. You see, you turn a year older today. I have been carefully building up the tempo…
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Bittersweet
I sit in the silent living room, the silence accentuated by the sounds of my fingers flying on the keyboard. I sit trying to make sense of the meltdown I just witnessed. Ammu, for forty-five minutes today you wept. Distraught and inconsolable. The only words you kept repeating were “Daddy”. I held you close, I…
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Celebrating you
You woke up to a rather dreary morning. Sleep deprivation, feverish kids and a house that looked like it needed deep cleaning. We ambled through the morning worrying alternately about each twin focussing on the moment. I don’t recall a moment taking you aside, wishing you a Happy Birthday. It is a little after 6:00…
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Remembering Appa
Driving into work today, I decided to give the earphones a pass and tuned into NPR. There was the news about Libya and then something about predator drones and my mind was weaving in and out, the sound bytes alternatively being loud and fading out. The weather and traffic updates followed. Then was this story…
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Another year passes by
I glance sidelong, your eyes look straight ahead at the unending road. I glance back, the girls are lost in their own worlds. I sigh and settle back against the plush seat back. Years have passed us by, adding wrinkles and crows feet. Grey hair and double chins. I remember the excitement of celebrating birthdays…