YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME. (Memoir series – Story 10)

Journey of Triumph Leads to Barefooted Bliss.

Oh boy, waiting for the entrance exam results is like waiting for ice cream on the hottest day ever!

I’ve done my best in the exams. All for Mummy. She has taken so much effort to get me ready for the exams. And I want her to be happy. Always.

Finally, the big day arrives. Daddy goes to the school to check the Notice Board, and we anxiously wait for him to come back.

Right from when he is opening the gate, Daddy has the biggest grin on his face. “You did it, son! Your name is on the list!”, he calls out.

And I can’t stop jumping around like a kangaroo. I am one of the chosen three to get into 2nd Standard! Woohoo!

Mummy and Daddy are so happy. The sparkle in their eyes and the pride on their faces convince me that these are the happiest moments we’ve had ever since we came from Calcutta.

We share the good news with everyone, but there is one special person we have to tell in person—Granny. The problem is, we can’t just give her a call. Thiruvarppu doesn’t have these fancy phone lines yet. 

So, off we go on the weekend to Kottayam to share the amazing news with Granny.

We pack our bags and set off on Daddy’s KLA320. Zooming through the winding roads, we are halfway there, and suddenly, BANG! We come to a screeching halt.

Oh no, not again! It seems like getting a flat tyre is a tradition on every trip we take. I’m starting to think the tyres have a secret plan to annoy Daddy.

But Daddy is a superhero when it comes to changing tyres. While he’s busy doing his tyre-changing magic, I feel a rumble in my tummy. 

Uh-oh, nature is calling! Mummy asks me if I can hold it a little longer, but I surely can’t. So off we race to the nearest little house on the roadside.

A lady from the house appears with a smile. Phew, relief is in sight! 

As I step inside, I notice some footwear near the entrance. Being a polite little guy, I take off my rubber chappals and leave them there catching a quick glimpse of approval on Mummy’s smiling face. 

While I’m in the toilet, I keep hearing strange sounds. So I look down. And oh boy, there are pigs snorting up at me through the hole! 

Can you believe it? 

I shriek with fright, and the pigs’ snorts sound scarier than a lion’s roar. 

I complete my mission in record time and fly out of the toilet like a scared goose.

Daddy has already changed the tyre and soon we are on our way to Kottayam. 

And just as I catch my breath, I realize something. 

Oh my God! I’ve left behind my chappals outside the house. Oh, my beautiful Blue coloured Bata chappals.

I plead with Daddy to turn back. But Daddy says we’ll pick up the chappals on our way back. 

Mummy is the best person to get Daddy to do things. So I try my puppy-eyes look with Mummy. But that too doesn’t work. 

Barefooted and sulky, I sit swaying to the twists and turns of the road. 

But Mummy gives me a little nudge and reminds me that nothing should dampen my spirits now. 

Mummy is right, as always. So I focus my attention on the road and the way Daddy is shifting gears and handling the steering wheel. 

I’m always willing and ready to help steer the car. So Daddy lets me hold my side of the steering wheel. And I’m back to being joyful and excited. 

We’re just about to reach where Granny’s country boat always waits for us. 

So I quietly tap my barefoot while practicing the boat song that Pappachan-chettan, our boatman with big muscles, had taught me on our last visit – “Oh dhithi thaaraa dhithithay, dhithay thaka thei thei tho”

I’m warmed up and ready to sing it with Pappachan-chettan on our boat ride to Granny’s home. And this time we’ll have one more thing in common. We’ll both be barefooted!