" DEPARTURE" #2

Zoya sat silently on the kitchen counter gulping her tears down along with water. It was Sunday eve and time had passed quicker than the last. Was that even possible? She had to learn time first!!

Earlier she was in the yard, trying to be brave to go and meet Bheema, the ferocious bull that her grandma loved and all grandma loved she too loved blindly. She could see him there at the far corner of the shed. He was ginormous and was in brown colour and his horns, well that’s what scared her the most. She had heard stories of all the scars those horns had caused but never grandma, she did wonder why. Every time he would turn away, she would venture a step head but when he locked eyes with her, the horns always seemed so huge and it was like he was puffing out smoke from his nose, it was two steps back that instant. Literally she stood further back from her start. Too much of adventure had made her tired and thirsty. This has bought her to where she was now.

The kitchen, she had entered to find too many people cooking too many items of food, and many boxed and bags being packed. That usually didn’t happen till Sunday evening. The realization that Sunday had arrived, her legs gave away. So she was presently at the counter with a glass of water. But nani knew Zoya being quite means Zoya being mischievous or Zoya upset. A quick physical verification she understood that it was the later.  So she went to cheer up her little cub, shower her with love in the way she knew, finding out what she could feed her little cub. But before she reached, Zoya had gulped down all her water and rushed out.

Zoya had rushed out before her tears feel. She knew, Grandma thought Zoya was strong and she couldn’t cry in front her. When she returned after calming herself, found it already to be dinner time. She clung to her grandma while she was fed, while her grandma ate, while they watched tv, while she went to the bathroom. She was not allowed to go inside. But waited like a queen’s guard outside.

She knew that if she slept, she always woke up in her bed. She had already vowed not to sleep this time! Little did Zoya know, all woke up early to send of a sleeping Zoya for they couldn’t bear tears in her eyes. It was 10, already way past her bed time. She remained wide awake lying near her grandma playing with her bangles, she love the sound they made. Grandma light brushed her hair and kissed her forehead and asked Zoya’s choice of tale for the night. It was always the same, about Bheema, but this time she wanted to hear how he had hurt grandpa and how grandma had single handedly saved him!

She was fighting a losing battle against sleep, not even half the story over she was fast asleep. Only to wake up next day in her bed and chores being done to her.

 This is how little Zoya learnt, how not all departures are happy and how sometimes you don’t even get to say good bye and in spite of every Monday there comes a Friday following soon!

This was also the first step in life where she learnt acceptance. Acceptance that weekdays she has to do school and weekends she gets to escape to her grandma. Acceptance that no matter how much time she might get, it would never be enough with her grandma, and that sometimes all she could to hear was only half stories. Acceptance that her mother was the right, she does forget to put back toys! Acceptance that no matter she loves pinks, some days she had to wear blue and that was how our little Zoya was becoming wiser by the day!