A FAIRY AND A GUN

IT SHOULD HAPPEN BY NOW…. “SHE’S SIX AND TWO DOWN”... 

“Umm, VERY LATE” said all the neighbours and friends…… Worried, we started pulling and pushing but to no avail. “Let me hit it with a sharp toy bhaiya” I rushed before she could club the plastic baseball bat into his face! Phew!! That was a narrow escape.

This is the story of the tooth that would not fall. Two new ones began cropping up behind, but this one in front refused to let his kingdom go! He stood firm like a soldier guarding the boundaries of his Motherland. So firm was he that we had to get expert opinion. Twice!

“Please remove it” cried the anxious mom. “Remove it doc, said the brave boy as he sat in the dentist’s chair. Excited, about his tooth extraction!! However, it was not meant to be. “It’s too early” said the dentist- “But he’s turning 7 in 2 months!”

The dentist smiled and explained about the laws of nature but all I understood was that this tooth needed someone else. Humph!! ” We shall go see that other one who did my root canal treatment.” “Ok mamma!”

The next week we were at another dentist’s clinic. I gave him my sweetest smile with the request to look at my boy’s teeth and please do the needful- i.e. “Pull it Out!” This doctor too believed we were over anxious- “6 months more we can wait” he said. If we waited six months the boy would have two set of teeth- a front layer and the one behind! No way! Time was running out. There was help at hand- Google always knows what to do. Each night we’d try something new to help the tooth loosen up. IT, however, refused to budge.

1 a.m. on a Saturday night after most of the guests had left from the house party. We sat curled up on the sofa with our dessert jars half empty- “Mamma! Mamma!” What happened? I thought the kids were asleep! Furious, I strode out to see who was hitting whom but, outside the bathroom door my anger turned to joy as I looked at the blood stained gap between his lower teeth.

The tooth had come out on its own. “It fell, it fell!  ”Yippee!” We jumped up and down in joy like we’d won a lottery.

“What’s up? “Said the bewildered couple who’d been kind enough to stay back and help with the clearing. Out came the entire tale of the tooth. “Another round of shots! Let’s celebrate!”

Celebrate we did but only till the next morning. There was a wail so loud it could have been the devil howling! Again we rushed to the kids’ room. What had happened that had turned the night’s happiness into despair on a bright Sunday morning?

“The tooth fairy did not come! “.  I kept my tooth under my pillow and it’s still there!! Boo Hoo Hoo!!

Blasted Peppa Pig!

I explained to him as to how would’ve the tooth fairy known that his first tooth had fallen? Just like we write to Santa Claus at Christmas time and ask him for presents, we need to write a letter to the tooth fairy telling her that she must come and visit to take the tooth under the pillow and replace it with a gift.

Wow! Pure Genius! The idea kept the brats busy through the Sunday morning. Writing a letter to the “tooth fairy” was an important mission!

DEAR TOOTH FAIRY. MY FIRST TOOTH FELL ON SATURDAY NIGHT. PLEASE COME AND TAKE IT... IT’S UNDER MY PILLOW. I NEED A NERF GUN. PLEASE, PLEASE TOOTH FAIRY GIVE ME AN “AUTOMATIC” NERF GUN.

“How will the tooth fairy carry the Nerf gun? How will she keep it under my pillow- it will be so big?” Rhetoric and incessant, this tooth fairy fantasy was beginning to turn into a nightmare!

At 5 a.m. Tuesday morning the tooth fairy went sneaking into the one toothless boy’s bedroom

and laid a brand new, glistening orange and white Nerf Gun beside his pillow. She took the letter and the broken tooth from underneath and disappeared.

It was a magical Tuesday when the little boy woke his parents unlike the reverse each morning.

Eyes gleaming and with a smile so wide I thought his mouth would tear- he held out a big plastic gun in his hand. “The tooth fairy came”!!

Nerf gun battles were played all through the week and the tooth fairy story retold to anyone who would care to hear. The fascination was contagious- soon the entire apartment was wishing their teeth would break and fall!

One day as we sat to do homework, with a mischievous toothless smile he says-“Ma, I know you were the tooth fairy”. I just smiled and slipped his tiny hand into mine squeezing it tight. It was a gesture of gratitude. Thank you darling for making me something I never imagined – A

Fairy with A Gun! J

FOREVER IN LOVE

Hello February! The month of “LOVE” is here! All the world over, we have the Valentine’s Day or maybe Valentine’s month being celebrated. Stories of St. Valentine abound and whether you like it or not... you have to listen to them and believe!  

A movement that was started by card and gift manufacturers to lure people has surpassed all of them and become all pervasive. It’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, movies, commercials, ladies cultural group events, kitty parties and unbelievably so... Even kids’ conversations in schools and buses. It’s Red, White and Pink everywhere!!

Way back in the year 2000 when I was a college student- for girls like me- the ones who didn’t have boyfriends - February brought gloom and despair. Red roses, and beautiful big red cards were like The Plague and a sight of any of these would bring tears rolling down. How miserable I was!! How unworthy of being alive…. All I wanted was a Valentine!! My parents, unaware of my anguish continued to live their boring normal lives: while I wished I was dead! I hated everyone and everything and would avoid the world till February breathed its last and I could live again!

20 years on... I see no one in despair. The world has changed so much, for the better.

Every girl has a boyfriend now- real, virtual or online... it’s immaterial. Who needs red roses or mushy cards when your inbox and WhatsApp chat is full with mushy messages and electronic cards?

Just click and you can forward “I Love You”. You forward to twenty on your contact list. You will probably get a reply from 2 at the very least… There–“Happy Valentine’s Day”. It’s easy... It’s 

only a day.- It’s okay!

Let’s cut to my present day- a mum of two spoilt brats - My Valentine’s Calendar is choc-a bloc: Starting from 2^nd February and stretching till 20^th February.

Apart from my real “Valentine”, I am celebrating Valentine’s Day with my Best Friends, my kid’s best friends’ moms, my ladies club circle, a Valentine’s party by the Sindhi Ladies Forum:

Valentine’s with my gym buddies, the Apartment ladies and kids etc., etc. 

I am also attending a 6 year olds birthday party on February 14^th itself with the Theme- 

“Valentine’s Day”!

The month of February brings a lot to look forward to, a lot of GIRL bonding and friendship. 

Old friends who’ve been bitching all this while, suddenly find the love lost among each other. Valentine’s Day helps my girls get together, share stories, gossip and exchange hugs.

Come February 14^th, and suddenly the Mister awakens ... “HAPPY VALENTINE’S BABY”

“LET’S GO OUT FOR DINNER TONIGHT?”  I smile, “let me check my schedule if I’m free to join you darling!!” What more could a girl ask for??

Forever February, I wish you would stay forever. Forever in Love, IF anything is forever...

“Forever in Love” – is what I want to be.

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 [H1]

WINGS OF TIME

“SUN!” “YELLOW”! “BIG”! See Mamma, see I can read! And sure enough, she was reading!

My younger one was reading sight words from the reading card that she had got from school today.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, ears and a whole lot of other organs like my heart: that gave a big flip!

Wasn’t it just yesterday that the doctor told me, “Meeta, it’s a girl!” The happiest day of my life when this little one’s gender was revealed! The entire pregnancy I prayed for her to be a girl…terrified about what I would do if I had another boy! 2 boys- Hitting, fighting, tearing each other’s clothes- I’d banish the thought as it arose in my head.

Then she arrived.. My bundle of curls, dimples, frilly frocks and Barbies! Was I sleeping and had just been woken up? Did she grow up within that time? I pinched myself hard. Ouch!! Very much awake. It seems like these 4 years have passed by in a wink!

As I was just recovering from this with a nice lunch, along came my first born. What does he wave in front of my nose? - An essay of 10 lines written in beautiful childish handwriting on “My mother”

“Ma, see I got a star today” I read it, incredulously… “You wrote all this?” Of course, Ma! Isn’t it nice?”

When did these kids grow up? It seems like some days back that he came back with reading cards and we read “SUN, YELLOW, BIG” together! Suddenly, he learnt to write??? I closed my eyes and smiled a happy disbelieving smile… I now understood the oft repeated phrase “TIME FLIES”.

Time flies, said my mom, Time flies said them all! It does, I guess.  

I think each and every one of us have said this phrase often. It’s mid-December already and guess what! Another year has flown by….

New Year’s Eve will bring a new hope... like all will be better as soon as the clock strikes 12... “Happy New Year”! “Happy New Year”! We hug and greet “all and sundry”.

One week into January and nothing feels new anymore... Does it? Every day passes off into the realms of time and is gone... Days move into weekends and no matter how much you plan and look forward to the coming party on Saturday night. The Dress, The Shoes, The makeup, all planned to the T. But all gone so soon- Time for the music to stop and yes we must say goodbye! We did have a blast though! All of what remains are the sounds in my mind, images, faces, pictures that I can remember- till time fades them from my memory.

“Time is the healer”- “Time will Heal”, but to me- Time is the pain. It takes from me all that I want to keep. It will not let me be!!- If I have time to while away: I’m depressed... If I’m busy and pressed for time- I’m stressed. “Time management”, “Time for myself”, “Quality Time” for my kids and my partner. TIME, TIME, TIME!!!

I hate you “Time”. You control everything, you are the only thing constant while all of us are not. Everything perishes. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly- all change and disappear! Only Time moves on and on. My agony and jealousy you cannot even gauge. You have fascinated Men for centuries! The all-pervasive, ABSOLUTELY SILENT- TIME.

One wish if I could have – I’d LIKE TO POSESS these Wings of Time. To be able to soar above all else… view everything from afar... Be the controller and the destroyer...   but... This wish cannot be. Or who knows? If we can conquer Time in the future. It could be possible! I’m sure!!!

“Mamma, I’m home…..” An hour just “flew” by as I was typing this. Time to go!