BLOOD, SWEAT, AND GINGELLY BALLS. (Memoir series – Story 11)

Slippery Saga of Family Quirks.

It feels like forever since I left my super cool slippers in that house!

Seriously, it’s been like two whole years. My hope of ever seeing them again is melting faster than my ice cream on a blazing hot day.

Daddy refuses to swing by that house and get my slippers back. He says it’s not a good idea for me to go begging for my beloved footwear. How unfair is that?

Every single time we drive past that house on our way to Kottayam, I put on a show. I cry my little heart out, scream at the top of my lungs, and even beg with all my might.

But what do Daddy and Mummy do? They just crack up with laughter! Can you believe it? They actually think it’s some kind of hilarious joke! Daddy even suggests that those slippers might have been eaten by those pigs.

I secretly wish for a flat tyre in the exact same spot just so we have to stop there. And maybe, I can sneak into the house and find my dear slippers.

The ritual of getting flat tyres on every trip continues, as usual, to keep Daddy’s tyre-changing skills perfect. But no. They always happen in different places. Sigh!

Anyway, enough about my lost slippers. On the bright side, I’m doing great at my new school. Daddy and Mummy are all happy and proud because I got the 3rd rank in my 3rd-grade exams.

But Mummy is a little concerned about my health. I tend to catch every single germ that’s floating around. So she has come up with a plan to “clean” my blood.

She boils some herbs and weird dry sticks that she buys from a strange shop in the market.

While this mystery mixture is bubbling away in the pot, Mummy starts giving me a talk about the wonders of drinking this weird blend. Apparently, it’s supposed to purify my blood.

The boiling pot smells nasty, but Mummy promises it’ll all be fine once it cools down.

Finally, she hands me a glass of that stinky drink, and I spit it out faster than you can say “yuck!” Seriously, it tastes bitterer than bitter gourd!

“Son, don’t sip it, just gulp it down,” she says with a firm tone while handing me two gingelly balls.

So here I am, holding the most delicious treat in one hand and the most disgusting drink in the other.

I’m wondering, how can the person who loves me so much deceive me into drinking such a horrible thing? It’s a total betrayal!

I feel like I’m gonna vomit just thinking about taking a sip. But I gather all my courage and chug that stinky drink in one go. It’s like a survival challenge.

Thankfully, those two gingelly balls are super yummy! They make everything better. Hooray for gingelly balls!

Mummy is serious about everything she says. Seriously, everything! She’s got rules for everything, and they’re not flexible. Like when it comes to food, there’s no wasting allowed in our house. I can’t take more than I can eat, and I have to finish everything on my plate. Even those little curry leaves in the curries she makes, they’re meant to be eaten. Yup, every single bit!

And guess what? Yesterday, when my uncle, aunt, and cousins from Aluva came to visit, we had Upma for breakfast. And you won’t believe it, Mummy gave my cousins the exact same lecture about not wasting food, including those pesky curry leaves. Poor guys, they had to eat them for the first time in their lives.

The next day when it’s time for my blood purification drink, I give Mummy my cutest puppy eyes look, hoping she’ll feel sorry for me. But nope, she doesn’t budge.

She sits me down and explains again why this yucky drink is good for me. I realize there’s no escape, so I just surrender and move on.

After a few days of practice, I’ve become a pro at chugging that horrible drink. And you know what? Those two gingelly balls Mummy gives me are like little drops of heaven! They make everything better, seriously.

Saturdays are the best because I get to hang out all day with my cousins living in Ernakulam. We play games and have a blast.

I love them all so much that I never forget to remind Mummy to make all of them drink Mummy’s blood purification drink! And while Mummy hands a glassful to each of them, I hand over two gingelly balls each while explaining to them the benefits of the drink.

Though they look like they hate me, I am sure that they’ll thank me someday for keeping their blood pure and sparkling!