SEISTA DURING THE LOCKDOWN
“Snake, snake!” my father's far off voice, emanating from the garden, tried its best to break into my siesta, travelling into my ears, braving the wax, slithering through the tunnels all the way into the inner ear! The cogs of inner ear promptly got into action, shaking me from my slumber and reminding me that the mother that Iam, that too "bhartiya ma" or was it mother india....whatever.....I ought to sleep light and am duty bound to be on an constant edge and nervous about my kid.
“ Come on! You are a mom!” cried my subconscious and usually sleeping conscience
“ So what? Being a mom is a state, not a CIA or RAW agent job! For christ’s sake!” cried my logical and ever sleep-greedy conscious mind.
“ Aryan, Aryan!” the same voice but now clearer and much more stronger, followed by very enthused albeit deafening barks from Dog!
Instantly I was bolt upright! Visions of large anaconda wrapping itself around my petite baby, of thousands of snakes chasing my baby, suddenly looked very plausible and realistic!
“ What happened?" Ever-on-guard, high decibel opera-singer scream of my sister in law, cut into the already misty haze of mine!
“ Owwwwwwww” of the opera singer, followed by a low growl and hustle bustle, with another “eowwwww” this time a stiff match to our opera singer, but definitely of a different tenor,°chased the tit bits of haziness hanging around me!!
By now the lucidity of my visions had crossed 1000 pixels. I could clearly envisage an anaconda wrapped around my son and millions of cats chasing my sister in law, while the Dog for reasons best known only to him, chose this very moment to shower its infinite fountain of love on my father and was most probably rolling him on the garden and of course my overtly solution conscious mother, closing her eyes tightly and muttering something clutching her prayer beads!!
Extrapolation has always been my strength and since I have been brought up in this very sane environ, I didn’t need to use much imagination to know exactly what would be going on in this household if it was suddenly attacked by snakes and cats. For example I was sure that my brother most probably would be sleeping on the bed, with an upturned “that part of the body which we are not supposed to speak of” all through this cacophony.
Needless to say, I, the only “heads on the shoulder” member of the family got up from the sofa and started running around the sofa screeching, "my baby… my baby… Aryan…baby” with eyes shut tight! Very genetic, huh??
My son stopped my frantic revolutions around the sofa, and asked in an ever so exasperated sigh, "Ma..ma.. I am here and I am fine! Now what did you dream of??”
“ Baby..baby you are ok na?” I ran my hand through his body making sure that there was no anaconda. Suddenly the adult in me snapped up, ”Wait what did you say? Dream? What dream? I never slept?”
“eowwwww” this time a weird mewing of cat accompaning our opera singer’s scream, ending in a unceremonious thump and crash, funnelled us into reality.
“Mama, come quickly! Aunty fell on the cat, and the cat is trapped under aunty and it is scratching aunty !” Reported back my 12 year old in few minutes.
We rushed to the scene and found a very affronted Cat glowering at my sister in law, who was lying down on the floor, with as much poise and grace that she could muster, staring at the Cat right back with equal ferocity!
“Didi, look at her arrogance! Her haughtiness! She dares to challenge me!” cried my sister in law, attempting a kinship with us since we also could be labelled homosapiens, at least in emergencies.
We helped my sister in law, get her not very light weight, off the floor and managed to balance her in a upright position, a feat in itself. After the colossal team work suceeded,she was feeling mollified and gave me one of those rare, indulgent sisterly look. My joy knew no bounds! Me! A pariah of the “ sanskari bahu” club being acknowledged by one of the "who's who" of the “sanskari bahu club.” I was joyous, however, I being me, possess a special penchant to burn my bridges as soon as possible. So overjoyed was I for being accepted by a member of higher echelons of "sanskari' that I felt duty bound to spread my joy and I picked up the Cat and crooned sweet nothings into her ears!! At this blatant show of betrayal, my sister in law gave one piercing cold stare that sent shivers not only down my spine but also passed down to the floor giving us an earthquake kind of feel!
Meanwhile, a vociferous barking muffling my father's very eloquent "aryan ..aryan...snake!" Shook us from our reverie.
We rushed to the garden, our next site………….. to be continued……..