Picture this: It was way past my bedtime. Work wise, it has been a tough week so far. So, I lit the fire outside and sat with Sharmila for a glass of wine. Nikita, who came by later, took a few pictures of us (and the dog who is celebrating his second birthday today).

This picture, I thought, came out pretty nice. I asked her “What should I caption this?”. And then offered “Perhaps, Fire of Love”?

She laughed uncontrollably. On the border of hysterically.

“Ah! Twenty three years of marriage. That would do it”, I told myself!!

… not on the floor, not on the bed – but on top of the pillows on the bed!!!

Somehow, he will not settle down on the floor or the rug or even the sofa! He has to climb to the topmost point and somehow snuggle in…

Regardless of age, saying “Bye” to a child is never easy for a parent. Every part of your mind is telling you that this is what you have worked hard all your life – so that they can go out and prosper in life in the world – a world much bigger than you will ever understand.

And yet, in that corner of your heart, a faint voice always pipes up – “So, what was left for you in your small world?”

Who knows?

Maybe the hope that they will come back again? Maybe those worlds will meet again?

[Which reminds me, I better start looking for tickets to India soon]

I know I get excited by the smallest thing in life but this kind of banter with my daughters is what I live for. Usually it is Nikita and I – and I have a whole “Nikispeak” series on it. This one is with Natasha – the college going one … The context was the the post from last year that I shared today which, if you did not realize – is a No Bra day…

Was in New York for a couple of investor meetings. They went a little long and the video call with office I had to take from the New York Starbucks with a lot of noise was not making me any energized. But there was something exciting I was looking forward to. I was going to have dinner with Natasha!!

I saw her first time after she left home and she was busy with her studies and had a test the next day. So, we spend about an hour and half together – walking and then having an early dinner.

Over dinner, as I was catching up on her new life, I asked her – “So, what have you learnt about yourself in the last month?”.
She thought for a while and said – “That I am not a morning person”!

Truer words have not been spoken by any college student ever!!!

Usually when I wake up in the morning this late – and I was late after we came home at 1:30 am with all those delayed flights from New York – there is a cacophony of alarms going on from the north end of our house. Invariably it is all those alarms that were set up to wake her up in the morning starting somewhere around 7 am going all the way to 10 am. Or something like that. Multiple alarms set about seven minutes apart and all she would do is hit the Snooze option. And each alarm was set to different alarm noise. Cacophony is just about the right way I can describe it.

As I said, I woke up today to a eerily quiet house. Instinctively, I went to her room to do my usual thing. Take her phone from the charger and switch off all the alarms. And let her sleep in peace.

Except, there was no alarms ringing today. Because there was no phone there today. And there was nobody bundled under the blankets today – irritably telling me “Go away, daddy” and turn over to the other side to go back to sleep, either!!