A2Z Challenge: G is (not really) for Gazab Ka Hai Din

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गज़ब का है दिन देखो ज़रा  
ये दीवानापन सोचो ज़रा 
हम भी अकेले, तुम भी अकेले 
मज़ा आ रहा है , कसम से 

 (Look, what a fabulous day it is
WE are alone We are enjoying, By God!)

 It was a nice balmy afternoon during the lockdown days. He looked at her with anticipation. She smiled. A kiss lingered in the air. But the next moment anguished cries rose from another corner of the house. Soon it seemed that a battle had been launched and the two of them were summoned back to the reality of being parents. 

 Have you ever lived out this horror story?

Today's song choice made itself clearer to me just last night. It wasn't as if I haven't known this truth for the past few years since the boy made an entry but nothing could have made it as crystal clear as what happened last night.

And to think of it now, what happened really wasn't all that different or revolutionary from everyday that I should have suffered this revelation just now in life.

Yesterday, by chance I managed to finish all the household chores and duties by 8.30 pm . everyone had been fed and kitchen closed for the day, things had gone back to their original place and so on.  The husband called it a day and went off to sleep. I gave my children what I hoped would be the last stern look for the day and sat down with a book. I intended to read at least for an hour. I had kept my laptop handy just in case inspiration struck and I was also quite sure that it would.


Five silent minutes must have passed when it seemed as if hell seemed to break. The children who hadn't yet been sent to bed and were each doing their own activity under my nose had  found something to fight about. It wasn't the usual fight where they just hit each other, mimic and then make up after 10 rough seconds. This time they were baring their teeth at each other. The younger one was baying for his sister's blood who he said had messed the puzzle he was making. The elder one was ready to charge at him with the ferocity of a bull who had seen red. I don't remember her grouse.

To cut a long story short, my hour of peaceful reading went into calming them down soothing them and then making me sleep. By the time they had slept I was too tired to do anything else and so all my dreams of reading and inspired writing were thwarted.

This dear reader is quite normal. I have found that adages like: when you have two children, you are no more than a referee and I can't hear myself think in my house- are absolute truths. It seems that I can never find quiet in this house. the house that is supposed to be a refuge, a sanctuary sounds often like a the set of a live TV show with my son's panache for a background score.  If he is playing with cars, there is a vrroomm vrrooomm sound accompanying the screech of the tyres, if it is cricket then a running commentary is on and if he is just jumping on beds and sofas then the musical score of a cartoon show plays. God forbid, if my children, 7 years apart, get into an argument about who has eaten more cookies during the day, the shrills and trills could wake up the whole village.  

The gist of the matter is that we never find ourselves alone to do couple-y things. We are always surrounded by a cacophony which makes it hard for us to think of things to say and rational choices to make. So if you were to come visit us and hear some nonsense, or meet me on the road and I make some unintelligent remark about trivial things then know that I might have forgotten to put my thoughts in order.

Comments

Anita Sabat said…
So true. Expressed very nicely.
Parents have to play referee.
They will grow up and still complain about the judgments :)
9:19 PM
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