My mom is a masterchef!

 I always envy the bento boxes that my friends bring to school. During the recess, we all sit in a circle and share our tiffins. One friend gets a 3 tier lunch box, with delicacies like biryani, desserts, raita. One opens her bento and the aroma spreads throughout the classroom. Paranthas of aloo, paneer, with homemade pickles, curds, or sometimes a tumbler full of buttermilk. All these elaborate lunch boxes makes me embarrassed to open mine.

Bread butter or bread jam or omelet bread or rarely a vegetable sandwich. Variety of bread. "Tere papa ki bakery hai kya", I remember one of my friends had asked me. While the other gestured her to keep quiet, whilst one said in a low tone, "She doesn't have a mother".


I know, my dad was doing his best. Just like all their moms, he gets up early. He packs my tiffin, gets me ready. He also learnt to tie my hair into pony tails, braids and different hair styles. But he isn't a good cook and even though he tries he messes up. We have a cook coming at our place but she cooks only lunch and dinner. And dad hates to pack the leftovers of dinner for my bento.







I couldn't have asked for more. But I am merely 7 years old. I wish I had a mom too. It isn't just the tiffins but also the goodbyes and hugs that I envy, when other moms drop and pick up their kids at school. I have to go by school bus as dad's at his office and can't fill in for this.


-----------------


This Sunday I stood in front of my mom's photograph and tears rolled down my eyes. I wanted to hug her, eat yummy food made by her. "Why did you leave me? How could you do this to me?", I complained. Dad watched, standing afar.

He picked me up and smiled. "Don't you love your dad?", he asked. "Yes I do. But I want my mom to drop me to school. I want her to pack yummy tiffin, not just bread butter. I want her to hug me when I come back from school. I want to hold her hand and play with her in the garden......", and I cried again.


"You know that your mom cannot be with us dear. But there's a guest coming to our place this evening. You can play with her, hold her hand, talk to her and she cooks tasty food too. She is a chef. So shall we invite her?", he asked. I had a big smile on my face. I nodded positively with excitement.


The guest came to visit us in the evening, my dad's friend, an elegant lady, with twinkling eyes, long hair and a beautiful smile. She greeted me with a "Hello dear", and I liked it. I said hello too. And I held her hand. I didn't know what attracted me to her but we played in our garden. She helped me colour the painting. She also helped me to put back my toys in the basket.






She stood by the kitchen counter wearing an apron. I wondered if my mom looked the same when she cooked. I don't remember seeing my mom apart from the photographs. But I was sure she must've looked just like this.


The dinner tasted extra yummy. And in this exhilaration I called her "Mom". Her eyes glittered and she glanced at my dad. My dad seemed happy too.


Soon they both got married.


Over the lunch break I flaunted my tiffin that was dipped in ambrosia and told everybody that my mom is a masterchef!



PC: gettyimages.in


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Appreciate the food your mother cooks for you. Some don't have food others don't have mothers! ~ Unknown. 

If you like my blog hit the heart button ♥️, there's a comment box for suggestions and comments, for more, keep following!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diary 2024

Image
  And 2024 ends..... What a roller coaster ride!  Every year passes by and the new year comes afore, leaving you with something and making you leave something.  It would be quite odd if time doesn't indoctrinate our minds. This year taught me so much, like the previous one and the prior ones too! I have learnt valuable lessons thanks to 2024. The year was challenging, demanding yet gratifying.  What I grasped this year would be exemplar for rest of my life!  The fear of losing your close ones, leaves you petrified. While the close ones are battling, struggling with all their mights, you feel helpless even when you have honest intentions of support. Mental support, yes that can be given in abundance, there's no ceiling to it. But the one you intend to support is going through so much that sometimes just being there, showing up is also helpful.  Sleepless nights, nightmares haunted me for days. But then when you see them valiantly striving and vanquishing the...
Read more

Moira : Bound to happen! Chapter - 1.

Image
She was sitting on the bench under the huge tree. Its extensive branches covered few more benches around. The park was a hangout place for teenagers. It was a playground for children and a perfect site for the exercise enthusiasts. People jogged, wearing headphones, determined to shed those extra kilos and be fitter, sticking to their new year resolutions, was a familiar sight here.  Yuga wasn't feeling the vibe today. She had left home as usual, early in the morning, in her tracks and tee to run a few miles, but after three rounds she just sat down on the bench. She saw an old lady taking rounds, walking slowly, but with vigour. The tree was shedding it's aged golden leaves. One such tanned foliole fell beside Yuga on the bench. She picked it up and let it descend on the ground. She switched off the songs playing on her phone. With air pods in her ears, she sat inert on the bench. She closed her eyes and could hear the birds chirping. "They are so happy even at the break ...
Read more

What's your plan?

Image
 "You've to score good grades at school!" "You've to do your Olympiads!" "You need to have a co-curricular activity or some sports activity!" "You should be able to dance or sing or play a musical instrument!" Oh my my! So much pressure on these little one's learning to adapt and traverse the lanes and by lanes of this complicated world. "But its a rat race! He/she needs to figure it out sooner. Studies, career, universities, the stress builds up as they advance into their grades (classes), isn't it?" Yes, true. It's a tough task for the coming generations. Population is ever increasing. Even though the colleges and courses are increasing in numbers but we have no say on the quality of education they impart. Also the leading universities and colleges are always the first priority, obviously. So the newbies are looked down upon. Also the reservations hinder the paths of many. Well, so what score is a good enough score...
Read more