Not an easy job « makeSplash.com by Sush Jaitly

Not an easy job

October 30th, 2009

Yesterday I told you guys how does my mornings start on any given day. Today I’ll tell you what happens next. Manish and Aleena are off to see off Mansie to the bus stop. That’s the moment I get to have my first cup of tea. While I’m having my cuppa I can literally feel the peace in the air which has descended over my house in the last couple of minutes, even if for a little while only. The quiet in the house is so obvious and prominent that I can now hear the birds chirping, pigeons cooing, vehicles moving on the road, planes flying by, and even bhajans emitting from our neighbor’s house. I just want to savor these moments of calm and peace which are pretty rare in my household. These are those god sent moments, which will see me through the day.

I can hear Aleena returning from a distance. She wears those kiddy shoes which make a tell tale noise giving away her whereabouts. I can hear her approaching and she enters with a smile of someone who’s accomplished a lot. Why not? She’s just put her elder sister on her school bus in time. As if it was all her doing? Plus along with daddy she carries today’s supply of milk which was picked on the way. So big deal! Anyways she picks up her bucket of toys and unloads it on to the floor for easy access. And gets busy.

Manish is now in a hurry. He picks up his cup of tea and today’s newspaper and heads for the loo. That’s his favorite place for reading the news. I guess we all find our little corners where we can get our moments of peace. Talking about peace in the loo, Aleena keeps banging on his door from time to time to ensure he’s there. So much for peace!! I can hear a few exchanges between them through the door. These half hearted grunts of Manish are enough for Aleena to know that papa is still at home. She then comes and informs me of the same, and takes a piece of biscuit or fruit for the information delivered and I am more than glad to give as long as she lets me do my work undisturbed.

Now I have 45 minutes with me, during which I have to prepare breakfast for Manish and Aleena. Prepare and pack his lunch and also to feed him and Aleena their respective breakfasts. Sounds very simple. But no, when in between Manish will also want some hot water for his shave, as winters are setting in and Aleena will have to be washed and changed because she is at her job again. And she may also just slip over the drops of water spilled by her earlier and needs to be comforted. But she just refuses to let go off me, least realizing that I’m racing against time here. How do you make an year old understand that she can only be held for a specific amount of time and no more. Luckily she sees some pigeons and gets distracted. Bless these birds!!!

I once again focus on finishing making breakfast and move on to make lunch when Manish calls out from the loo that he forgot his towel and if I’ll be kind enough to pass it to him. Do I have a choice here? AHHHHHH!!! Guys!!! I tell you…they remember all the important things at office but at home they can’t even remember to take a towel before they go for a bath. Just to avoid an argument, I pass the towel to him through the door and hear his thanks which only irritates me further at the moment. But I shake myself nah tell myself to focus on the job at hand and return to the kitchen.

I quickly finish making his lunch and begin to pack it when Aleena starts demanding for her breakfast by pulling at my pyjamas. And before she gets in a foul mood, I quickly put her in her high chair and give her the needful. She is really hungry by this time after all those activities she indulged in since she woke up. She finishes her food without much adieu, much to my relief. I am really running short on time now. Manish will be out from his bath any moment and ask for breakfast. I got to finish packing his lunch before that and make some coffee, which he has after breakfast. Lunch packed, breakfast ready in plate and Manish calls out for me to call up his driver and ask him to hurry up as he was getting late. He should have been here already to collect his briefcase and lunch box.

Thankfully the driver generally manages to reach bang on time. He collects everything and goes down to wait for my husband. Manish gets ready infront of the mirror, while Aleena runs away with those very things that he needs, like comb, moisturizer, hair-gel, perfume etc., and cries when she is scolded. I pick up Aleena in one hand and balance his breakfast in the other. He is really getting very late here and ask me to feed him breakfast while he readies for the office. There’s no time for him to sit on the table and have his breakfast. Actually he can’t sit at the table because he wants to watch some silly WWF match between bites. Damn you Randy Orton!!! Guys, I tell you!!! Even when he is running late he can squeeze in time for this. No wonder this show is so popular with guys of all age groups. As I put down Aleena and give him the first bite she also demands to be given something from his plate.

Manish quickly gobbles his breakfast and coffee and while he’s running through the door after having bid goodbyes to us he realizes that he has forgotten his handkerchief. I go and fetch it for him, while Aleena is picking all those bites she has strewn all over the floor. She gets a stern “no” from Manish which she ignores and carries on with her dirty job. Manish runs down the stairs. Before I can heave a sigh of relief I hear his trailing voice reminding me that the car needs to be refueled and the electricity bill has to be paid. I just nod my head in acknowledgment, wave my hand, come inside and drop down on to the nearest sofa. PHEW!!!!!!!!

Before I have my breakfast, let me just sit for a while without having to do anything. It’s only 8 am. The day still lies ahead with Aleena absolutely in full flow. But that’s another story altogether….. which I’ll fill you up with after I have had my breakfast………Don’t go away……check out soon…..