Something Missing

Its 4.30 A.M as I look drowsily at the clock, hmmm I can sleep a bit more and I twist around to get some sleep, 4.45 a bit more, 5 a bit more….somehow I keep twisting and turning around on the bed till 6 a.m and finally I haul myself out of the bed to fix some milk for the baby . He drains it down in a flash and now I have to get myself to make some breakfast for adi who is staring school today. Now you know the cause of my restlessness. It’s the first day at school ,the first time that adi is leaving home by 7.30 and so I get busy. I pour the idli batter into the idli plates and leave it to cook while I brush my teeth . Thank god! I had planned it earlier since I have some sambar for the idlis in the fridge. I go to the bedroom to wake adi and aju. I nudge adi saying good morning and he leaps off the bed,strides like a monkey saying” ‘O’ I got to go to school today”and oh! How lucky I am to have a son who does not lazy around saying that he wants to sleep a bit more though I complained about the same habit few months back :P. In a blaze he brushes his teeth ,takes bath and settles down to have his breakfast. I want him eat it up quickly so I demand aju to assist him. At 6.40 my cook comes in and says” wow the breakfast is ready. How nice”. I fancy slapping her on her butt since I had told her to be on time yesterday and she didn’t bother. But now I have got used to these ladies and I don’t wait anymore. I tell her “hey! don’t be so happy. Make some chapathis for adi’s lunch “ and she gets to work. I go back to label some schoolbook, which I had covered last night and the time, is 7.15. Quickly I dress adi in his brand new uniform and he is all excited since everything is new, the school uniform, the bag, the lunch bag, box, shoes, socks, and his favorite water bottle. When ajith tries to pep him up a bit more by saying “hey all new for you”, adi snaps back saying “yeah! A new tummy ache too”. He runs to the toilet to poop” and more than him, I am relieved. Hastily I pull up his shorts and its time for the van .We run down and all his friends are there waiting for the van with their parents. The van has not arrived yet and that leaves us time to whine about the traffic which must be delaying the van. I must add that our van driver has been very punctual last year and all of us were planning to increase his remuneration to keep him happy while we see it arrive. Some kind of telepathy seems to have happened as, the minute he parks the van, he gets down and talks about his pay. All of us agree in unison although we would have liked to say it first. Finally the van leaves with our kids waving bye bye and after some more gossip, I return home to find something missing …..or someone missing….