As soon as I plant Spring flowers and tell the kids that we will have the best 17 days of spring break, they start sneezing and coughing. By the weekend they even manage to get a fever. They sleep and wake up at different times, making sure I wouldn’t get a minutes rest. They both want different things to eat, play, do and watch. Being the best mom in the world, I do it relentlessly, completely ignoring the fact that my own allergies had kicked in and I hadn’t slept in 3 nights. In fact I think Ekta Kapoor could even send some of her starlets over for training for her next serial called Kkkya Ma!!
To add to my misery, Mu-man decides to get the flu, hacks his lungs out and needs warm water every hour. The dutiful wife in me wakes up and sits holding his head in my lap through the night, making sure the water is no less than the recommended 150F deg. I make chicken soup from scratch (actually finding farm grown organic chicken), change his sheets to 100% linen ones in mute colors and get his favorite movies to watch in bed. Scene 1: Ekta Kapoor’s Kkyunki biwi bhi kabhi Ma banegi!!
I walk into the kitchen and hear a strange cough, one I have never heard before and lo and behold, the dad in law is now coughing, has a low grade fever and completely denies being sick. He insists that he had it 2 days ago and he is all good now. But this lil Ekta Kapoor’s cheli won’t give up so easily. I quickly don the only polyester sari I have, veil myself with the Pallu, carry ginger tea to his room and start called him “Babuji”. I make garam garam rotis and apki pasand ki phoolgobi ki sabji. I lovingly chide him about taking his medications and hear him tell the neighbors, “Yeh meri bahu nahi beti hai”.
Scene 1: Ekta Kapoor’s attempt at light hearted serial, Kkamaal ki bahu!!
The entire weekend I clean and dust and cook and try to be as cheerful as possible to make sure I spread joy and happiness to my loved ones, occasionally breaking into family oriented Hindi songs.
It is amazing how Mu-man, dad in law and the kids have the same exact dream every time they are sick. Maybe some day it will come true, but not today.
3 years ago
