Where I wonder...

if Sonny boy's prayers are being answered...

Owing to a death and a wedding respectively, the Ammamma and the maid are both missing in action this week.

I understood the maid to say that it was her husband's brother's son's wedding and she needed 3 days now, but would take no more leave the entire year. Ha! Taking the latter part of the statement with a pinch of salt, I gave her leave anyways.
And the Ammamma who had gone along with Sonny boy back to Kerala last week, told me that she was just getting the scent of her home into her nostrils properly and that it was too soon for her to return....
I need to bottle that perfume now!

So the working parents are left all alone to cope with the son in UKG- who returns home by 12.20 every day. We've re-scheduled our office matters in such a way that one of us is there for him these 3 days. Today was my turn to take time off to collect him from the school bus, while the Acha takes over in the evening when I have a client meeting (this dear client only ever starts his meetings post 5.30, and it goes on till 8, irrespective of whether anything is achieved or not)
I rushed through some things at work with my mind on the time and raced back home with a minute to spare for 12.20.

As I stood outside the gate and watched the yellow bus take the turn to our apartment, I heaved a sigh of relief. The bus curves past our apartment to go to the one ahead of ours and then returns.

And today, the bus curved, and then I saw a delightedly grinning face at the back of the bus. An answering broad grin broke out on my face, and I waved.
Two little hands came up waving madly.

And I wondered if he had been sending up a prayer to the One-Sitting-Above, for his Amma to be at home to receive him in place of the maid.

He'd asked me once why I couldn't go and get him every day at the gates. When I told him that my Boss (akin to his Ma'am) would not be happy with me if I did that every day. He mulled it over thoughtfully, then accepted resignedly that Ma'ams and Bosses were not to be trifled with.

But today's delighted smile showed me how MUCH it matters to one little boy (and his Amma) to have his Amma come and collect him. He was the first off the bus when it stopped.
Sigh!
When will God answer a big girl's prayers too, I wonder?

to and fro thru Nagarhole.

Sonny boy has gone for the puja hols to his Ammamma's. He'll be back only after a week. Its going to be only the two of us for a WHOLE week. Sigh! Ammamma will not be coming back with Sonny boy next week. Sigh! Sigh!

We drove down to Kannur via Nagarhole, thinking to show Sonny boy the jungle and some wild animals in their jungle environment so he can differentiate between the 'domestic' and 'wild' he's been learning in school.

The boy who woke up at 5 in the morning, stayed awake chattering, despite all our efforts to make him sleep in the car till we were nearing Nagarhole, and then - he promptly went off to sleep! And woke up just as were were past the jungliest part of Nagarhole! The best laid plans...

Coming back, without him, we saw-

monkeys,

puh-lenty of chital with antlers and all,

an elephant having a mud bath. We almost drove past thinking it to be a rock, when it lifted its trunk and we glimpsed white tusks and a shower of mud.(we heard the trumpteting of the herd farther away and accelerated past before they decided to cross the road and stand in the middle of the road like they did once before - we had to wait 5 min that time before they decided to make a move.)

Two domesticated elephants near the kraal..we could've stopped there if Sonny boy were there, like we did once before..

We had a rare sighting of a handsome sambar towering majestically before it darted away startled, into the foliage.

And towards dusk, we saw some eyes gleaming redly in the dark, but couldn't see the animal it belonged to. Sigh!

I've seen bison too once, tho' not on this occasion.

And one unforgettable time, the husband and I were (again coming back from dropping Sonny boy) driving slowly thru at noon. We'd seen plenty of monkeys on our drive the previous day, and this time too, only monkeys seemed to be available and we were not enthused.

Husband: *boredly* "One more monkey!"
me: *sleepily* "umm.."

Husband: *conversationally* "Quite a big monkey tho' "
Me: "Umm...yeah" *focussing sleepily on the monkey*

Me: "But .. the monkey has spots...? *waking up*
Husband: *galvanised with excitement*: Wife! that's not a monkey! That's a .. DAMN!"

It was a baby cheetah!
Who had been in the middle of the road like a common monkey, when the husband who was driving spotted it. In the bright sunlight, at a distance, the yellow and the black spots blended to a kind of grey. As the car approached slowly, the black spots on yellow became evident, and it moved with cat-like grace to the side of the road, its long tail touching the road, with the tip lifting up in that characteristic curve.

We stopped the car and drank in the sight, not moving a muscle, but almost trembling with delight, as it drew almost level with the car.
When a bloody ASININE person driving a car coming up behind behind, honked at us to get a move on-
and it slunk away, melted away almost, into the bushes lining the road.

The other car passed us, and we looked at it fuming, then tried to catch a glimpse of the yellow thru the undergrowth, but yellow blends very easily with green...

Two awed adults looked at each other and laughed in delight like kids, with only ONE regret- that they hadn't been able to click a pic. (other than not being able to sock the idjit driver one, of course)

Imagine - a cheetah - just about 6 ft ahead - right in front of us - walking towards us....
and we thought it was a monkey!!!

Every time we pass Nagarhole we keep a lookout for the kid we saw, who'd be a full blown adult now... but we've never seen it since.

chatterbox

I used to think that the husband spoke too much.

His son is a chip right off the block, and can put the block to shame.
From the time he gets up to the time his eyes droop down in sleep, he chatters nineteen to the dozen - on anything and everything!

Ammammma says that her grandson is going to be a politician the way he can go on and on on anything! She doesn't say that appreciatively.

There are times when we literally keep our fingers over his mouth and can still feel the lips moving in protest. He is incorrigible.

Sample this-

Amma: Sonny boy, write red.
Sonny boy: Red? You want me to write red?

Amma : Yes, write red.
Sonny boy: ruh-eh-duh-red you want me to write?

Amma Yes.
Sonny boy: or ruh-a-duh?

Amma: Sonny boy, I have told you so many times- either use phonetics OR use only alphabets when spelling, DO NOT confuse the two.
Now write ruh-eh-duh. WRITE!
Sonny boy: Amma, red or read? like you know, in read a book?

Amma: Sonny boy, ruh-eh-duh is what I said.
Sonny boy: Oh, you mean red colour? THAT red? yeah? THAT red, Amma? Amma? Ok I will write... ruh.... eh....
Amma, red is the colour of your dress?

Amma: Sonny boy, please, PLEASE write red.

I tell you this is just a minor sample. He talks non-stop.


And last weekend, when we had gone to school, this is what his teacher had to say.

"He's intelligent, but he gets distracted easily. And he talks a lot...."

At which the Acha and I made a face and said that we had the same problem at home too.
And she said, "In fact he talks so much he manages to distract the rest of the class too, so I've put him right at the front of the class. Only him in a row. At first it was peaceful. But now, he turns around and talks ..."

sigh! It's not easy being a future politician's parents, I tell you.

Happy Onam, folks!

Since they say a picture says a thousand words....





















my Onam was happy.
Hope yours was too!