The boy with a backpack was ten years old, give or take a year. He had bright, intelligent eyes and a cocky assurance about him. He wore a tan jacket and khakhi full length trousers, in protection against the chilly winter winds. He was carrying a backpack which he refused to put down. From time […]
Motherhood
Mayhem: My Mother and a Mouse at the Movies
My mother was petrified of rats and mice. Actually, to be absolutely accurate, petrified isn’t the right word. It barely covers the truth. It is too weak a word for her true emotion. She was outraged, disgusted and repulsed as well as petrified. As all students of humanity know, disgust and outrage take petrified to […]
That Chilly Winter Night
I remember how cold it was that night. I had taken them out for dinner; she and her mother. I’d just landed my dream job and I wanted to celebrate with her. Her mother invited herself, as I had (wrathfully) expected. To keep things her mother under control, I brought my brother along. The mother […]
The Non- Conformist
When my first child was born, one of the visitor said, “Congratulations on the birth of your motherhood!” The greeting was unusual; it arrested my attention. But even stranger was her expression. She seemed very concerned. I know she was trying to tell me more than her words said. She sat down with me, […]
Need For Affection
The first part of this story is An Ordinary TV Remote He would come home stressed out and tired. All he would want was to slump in front of the TV and pretend to be engrossed in some obscure program or game with his attention and thoughts tuned out. She, having at last put the […]
An Ordinary TV Remote
I am dying. I’d like to tell you my story before I vanish into oblivion. I know what you are thinking. You think just because I am an ordinary TV remote, my life wasn’t worth living, let alone recording. Unglamorous and undistinguished are probably the adjectives snickering away in the dusty corners of your mind. […]
A Cheap Silver Ring
Somali was excited. Her mother’s birthday was barely three days away. Somali had decided that this birthday she would buy a gift for her mother. And it would be a surprise! Somali was going to be eleven a few days after her mom’s birthday. They shared a birthday month. The thought made Somali glow with […]
A Bicycle for Hire
My father had a poultry farm once. Not very big, just about 1000-1200 birds. Big plot of land though; over 8000 square feet. The building housing the pens right at the back of the plot… farthest from the approach road. There was a huge berry tree in the middle of the plot, and a big […]