Silence

She was busy working in the kitchen.Preparing lunch and breakfast.
It was almost eight o’clock and Neha had to leave at 8:30.

She was having an exam today hence was not giving her mother a helping hand in the daily morning chores.

Neha was busy mumbling the formulas and concepts in her room when she heard her mother’s voice.

“Come downstairs and pack your lunch“,her mother shouted.

"Coming “,Neha replied back. 

In a minute Neha was standing besides her mother.Cutting apple into slices for the breakfast,still mumbling the formulas and concepts.

“Okay, now here’s milk and bread.Make yourself a cup of coffee and a pair of bread-butter.Then you can go.”  She had an exam in an hour! In an hour! And it ain’t was some school level exam! An engineering level exam.But Neha have always been a good daughter,an obeying all the order girl .

She took it as a pleasure to assist her mother in household work which is usually not the case for any of today’s age girl.She took this work too with a pleasure even though she had an exam.

“Okay.I am done.I am leaving“,Neha said,picking up the cup and the plate of bread-butter.She had made herself a cup of coffee along with a pair of bread-butter,with butter applied on simple plain bread.

Why are you eating plain bread?Why didn’t you make a toast?“,her mother inquired.According to her mother, bread eaten in raw form was not a very healthy idea.Hence she always used to insist on eating a toasted bread or an oven-ed bread. 

Neha answered,in a low voice as she knew the reason was enough to make a spark for a fight between her and her mother early morning.

“I have to study.I will eat plain bread only today”,she made it simple,not to include any repulsive words to attract any argument.

“Why don’t you say that you like plain bread that’s why you are having it”.

“No mother.It’s not that.I hate plain bread.I love toasted bread.I love it especially with butter.But I love it because you always make me that.And today I am not having it because you didn’t make it for me.”,she wanted to say.But she kept quiet.

Quiet because her mother had a rough start in the morning with her father on some issue and she just didn’t want to annoy her mother anymore herself.Hence she decided to leave in Silence !

Smita 

My lil' gurl!

I cannot forget the pride in my heart and the tears of joy in my eyes as I bade her goodbye at the airport that day. My daughter, now a 25-year-old young lady, was going away to another city on an internship for two months. There was my independent, confident, assertive daughter waving at me from the escalator as she got ready to board the plane. She was embarking upon a journey to prove her mettle and make a mark. I patted myself for having done a fine job of bringing her up. She was just like I’d wanted her to be; probably, everything that I was never, and much more. She had learnt to fly... I’d given her wings. She was now ready to fly away... fend for herself, build her own nest, have her own family. My little girl had grown up.

The next moment, she was gone. It was time for me to go back to the car for the drive back home. I wanted to make sure if she was okay in the lounge. I contemplated calling her, but decided otherwise. She’d manage. I should let her go now, I said to myself. My legs ached... I was growing old. I smiled to myself. And suddenly, a sense of emptiness engulfed me. I walked with a heavy heart, holding back my tears, back to where the car had been parked. Just when my cell-phone buzzed... a message! I frowned. The last thing I’d wanted was someone from work messaging me at that moment. Reluctantly, I took out my cell-phone from my bag and looked at it. It was from my daughter.

“Hi ma! M waiting 4 my flight n havin our favourite Latte at the airport lounge. Missin u already ma! Thanx for always being there! I’ll b back soon! Tc n keep smiling! Luv ya! Ur lil’ gurl!

I smiled. She’d always be my little girl, won’t she? I burst out into tears, but there was a smile on my face! Yes, she indeed was my little girl...

PS: Back to the Lounge after a long hiatus! :)