When Everything Went Wrong
It is monsoon in India. I love natural showers and I am getting wet but wait, who is calling me repeatedly?
“Get up Daksh! Get up! You are getting late for your school and I have to go to the market.” It is my mother trying to wake me up for online classes and sprinkling water on me. Argh!
I opened my eyes and Oh No! it is just 7:45 am, still 15 minutes left! I wanted to sleep little more but who can win with Mumma? Hurriedly, I got down from bed and started getting ready. I saw a bowl on the table and thought It is my vanilla Cheeros. I was hungry and getting late. I took my bowl of cereal from the table for my every morning breakfast.
Yuck! What was there on the bowl? why does it taste so weird? I asked mother. I ran to bathroom to vomit. It is “Coffee’s” Pedigree she replied! I got delayed for my online classes as usual. My class teacher asked in a strict voice, “What is the matter this time Dakshesh? Why are you late again?” I did not have any answer. I just said, “Sorry Miss, it won’t happen again.”
Class started and teacher asked everyone to submit Science Project work one by one. I picked my worksheet and turned the first page “Hickory Dickory Dock…” I was totally blank without any words. My little brother’s poem workbook!! Where did I keep my project worksheet? Now I cannot even get up. My teacher called on me “Do you need a special invitation Dakshesh?” Whole class roared in laughter. Embarrassed, I turned red and whispered “sorry, I am not able to find my workbook. Indeed, I am sorr…”
“Enough! No more excuses” teacher shouted.
After the class was over, I was sad and started crying. I saw my project work been torn by Coffee; happily biting and chewing, littering all over.
It is 1:20 pm and I am waiting for my mother to return. I was watching TV and after few minutes our neighbour aunt came and gave me a lunch box of curd rice. I took a plate to pour and eat. The box slipped by mistake and everything dropped on the floor. Coffee came running and started licking the food spread. I kept staring feeling sad, lost and hungry. What to eat now? I kept thinking as I munched on my favourite Oreo biscuits.
Mother got late. It was 3 pm when she returned from the market. She hugged me in pity and ordered burger and fries from phone to set my mood. luckily food joints are open till now in this Covid situation; said my mother. Brave delivery boys! delivering even during this pandemic time and that too in this heavy rain! Just like our fearless brave army men. My mother went on.
I was so hungry that I lost track of what else my mother said. I asked for the burger again. She realized and called up the delivery boy. To my bad luck, the food was delivered into a wrong address with same name forty minutes ago and they just came to know when mother called up. Now I will have to wait for another thirty minutes for my lunch. It seems as if all the rats in our house were running inside my tummy.
In the evening, we were supposed to attend a birthday party of my friend but Mumma cancelled. I must finish my Science project before next class. I will miss the birthday cake! chocolates! Pizza! Ice cream…and all my friends who will come. I waited weeks to attend the party! My mother said that we will give him the birthday gift next day.
So unfair! What about all that treat and fun which I will miss? At least my mother could have allowed me for an hour.
Mumma said that we should not attend any party till we are vaccinated. I hate injections! I hate false promises! I am hating everything now! It feels like the lockdown is never going to end. We children are trapped forever and there is no vaccine for us. It is been almost like two years that I have visited anywhere. Not even to my best friend, my grandpa’s village! Holidays were fun in the beginning but schools have found out how to take that away too – online classes..Arghh!!
It is 4.30 PM now, humid and hot, we have a power cut. My younger brother Sumo, as my Mumma calls him fondly, watches cartoon whole day. Lucky he is, I kept thinking. 3 years old but Mumma never scolds him to study. My mother feeds and pampers him and his only work is to play whole day and he keeps annoying me, throwing toys and food at me and scratches on my textbooks. Now also, he is doing the same thing and all I am doing is homework!
Looking at my sad dropped face, Mumma realized my pain and said in the evening around 8PM, “It is okay, if we struggle sometimes. We should handle it like an elder not get frightened. Learn from your mistakes. If you had woken up early you could have finished breakfast. Just because you did not keep your project work arranged at your study table and was lying on the floor, Coffee took it for playing. Due to which you must work on it again and miss your friend’s birthday this time. Do not get upset! Nobody is perfect but everybody has their own share of duties and difficulties in their life. There is no age to learning and you are just 7, my cupcake! Cheer Up!!! Come and have dinner. I have prepared your favorite egg noodles and got you strawberry Ice cream too with lots of nuts!
Yayyy!!! Lit my face. At last, something is good when everything else has gone wrong!
By Dakshesh Paul
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