See You Later, Alligator!

 Spotless floors, pristine rooms, sheets drawn perfectly, cushions placed in their proper nooks... what is it that’s missing, I muse to myself? I do not even need to pause to think of the answer. It is our little Miss Sunshine who is missing, our Sparkle, who came home for two months and turned our lives upside down with her irrepressible presence. Right from the moment she bounced in to the moment she bade us goodbye at the airport, we spent almost every waking hour together.

Every night, I would walk gingerly, picking up toys of all shapes and sizes from the floor, each with a personality of its own. There were twin lion cubs, an African doll with the prettiest face, a couple of seals, five bedraggled dolls that came from her great grandmother’s Nursery school and a whole lot of kitchen utensils that were clogged with play dough after the little one’s culinary experiments. Little drawings would be strewn around in all their glory as well. 

Little puzzle pieces lay like leaves on an unswept avenue, along with tiny shoes that left a Hansel and Gretel trail, and Kinder Joy halves that still held chocolate within their bodies. Our little Sparkle was more interested in the tiny toise within (read ’toys’) that needed her Mom’s expertise to be put together.

She loved reading the story of Gajapati Kulapati, the elephant with a tummy ache, the Bamboo Story, and a cute little tale about Baby’s Belly Button. What kept us all in splits was the way she made up instant songs on anything and everything, including her Mom’s ‘bum bum’. This little two and a half year old could throw tantrums one moment and flying kisses the next, but whatever she did, we, her Nana and Mooma, enjoyed to the hilt. Especially when she opened Santa's presents in the presence of her Christmas tree! :)

So, there I would be, creating gastronomic ‘miracles’ in the form of dosas especially for her. One morning, it would be a triangle, the next a flower, the third a cat. Dosas doused with ghee and love! She loved French fries, veggies (all except peas), chicken, sausages and crackers. After dinner, she would quickly pop in a forbidden chocolate into her mouth and then wag a finger at us, saying, “No eating chockies! They make cavities!” Ice cream would be greeted with a, “It’s sooo cold!” even as she licked the spoon clean.

Meal times would find her absolutely quiet as she would be allowed to watch DD (cartoons) on her mom’s mobile. By the end of the meal, one only had to take a look at the phone to see what the little one had had for dinner, starting off with buttery fingerprints and blobs of ketchup.

Of course, her Mama often took her for Summit Talks every time she got a trifle too high spirited, or sent her to the naughty corner, from where she would look at us, trying to melt our hearts with her woe-begone glances.

Going out was always a lark, even if it was only to the grocery stores (Bismi and C Mart), the toy shop, or the Sobha City Mall which probably reminded her of malls back home.  However, the two places she loved visiting were where her two great-grandmothers, Mushi and Mimi, waited for her with bated breath.

Mushi’s house had the added attractions of two little pugs that came tearing out at the click of the gate, Bhanu Mooma (a grand aunt) who grabbed her the moment she entered and Mushi herself, who sat on her high chair and enjoyed her antics. No visit was complete without a huge bowl of potato chips and cashew nuts that she valiantly munched through.

She would let her hair down at Mimi’s house, and regale Mumu and Mushan, (her grandaunt and uncle) with her quaint comments. The next moment she would grab Mumu’s hand and propel her towards the kitchen saying, “I want something!” Something would mostly consist of chigda (round little savoury snacks) or baby idlis. Once in a while, a chocolate would make its appearance as well.

Ironically, India for her meant our home. So, every time she left a place, she would say, “I am going to India. See you later, alligator!”

It was a delight to see her go wild at the Cherai Beach where she and Nana jumped along with the waves, chortling in glee. Mealtimes saw her picking at her veggies and chicken with gusto, with a helping of pasta or noonus (noodles) thrown in. When the manager gave her a chocolate as a special New Year’s treat, she thanked him prettily, the way she did whenever she was given a gift.

It was a wrench to see her leave along with her Mama. Of course, she was all excited to see her Dada. After an enlightening conversation in the car about the sun having gone home to his mama, and having risen just to say Goodbye to her, and a number of hugs and cuddles, we stood and waved at her. She kept turning around to see if we were following, till she finally went inside, a forlorn little figure holding her favourite doll.

Of course, we knew that we would follow them in about four months, when our second grandchild would come into the world, a fact that our little Sparkle never failed to mention to whoever came before her. “Mama has a baby in her tummy!” And until then, we would have a collection of precious moments spent with her to laugh and cry over till we got to see her again.

“Being a mother is the most important job in the world. Being a grandmother is the most fun.” Truer words were never spoken!