The Binding String

N I N T Y - O N E

"You know that's not true and from here you learnt these lines?" Children catch the things from their friends and Roohi is no exception. The friends she made in the abacus classes comes from different family backgrounds. Roo must have learnt or picked these words from her friends but she knew being a mother she cannot let her pick or adapt such behaviour.

"You really feel I don't love you?"

"I know you love me Mumma." Roohi replied softy peeping at her mother through her lashes.

"Exactly. We love you alot darling, we are just asking you to finish the food. It's not good to leave the food in the middle." Raman took matter in his hands and helped Roohi in finishing the remaining meal. She looked at her mother sheepishly before lunging in her arms and peppering kisses at all over her face. "I am solly."

"It's okay jaan." Ishita sighed and fed her another spoon of kheer. The generation gap between parents and children is not easy to tackle, Roohi is a child of a progressive generation who is exposed with internet and smart gadgets from a tender age. She doesn't remember emotionally blackmailing her mother in her childhood days but she cannot expect same from her own daughter. It's pretty evident that she must have picked these lines either from her friend or some cartoon show but anyways acting rebellious with kids won't work. She learnt to handler her with calmness.

"Oh! It's dadi call." Roohi squealed with joy finding her grandmother face flashing on her iPad screen. She excitedly picked the call and waved her hand to her grandmother but the mention of her grandmother name was enough to pale her parents face.

"Papa see dadi is here."

Raman looked at Ishita and then at the plate, he wanted his wife to handle the issue like she does everytime but he found her disappeared leaving him alone to deal.

"Hi Maa..."

"Pairi pona Maa."

"Junda reh puttar. Accha hua tu jaldi vapis aa gaya. Roohi was missing you." Santhosh exclaimed from other side, she can sense hesitation in her son eyes and it was making her giggle inwardly.

"How are you and Papa?"

"We are good, your papa is talking with Simmi. By the way you're looking quiet worn out, if the lock repairing exhausted you?" Raman who was drinking the water spit the liquid on the floor and started to cough on the other hand his wife turned red as a tomato and faced the wall.

"Haan Dadi papa toh super strong hai, unhone mumma ko bachaya. Pata hai papa ne pehle lock khola, wo andar gaye aur phir andar se lock repair Kiya. Haina Papa??" Roohi sweetly chimed enough to make her parents more embarrassed. Raman face palmed himself whereas Ishita felt like to dug the pit and hid herself inside it.

"Maa wo mihir is calling. I will be right back." Raman dashed inside making Santhosh laugh harder, she shifted her attention back on Roohi who raided her father suitcases and spread her gifts all around, excited for her toys.

*

NEXT DAY

Roohi jumped on the kitchen counter and picked another fritter, she was fascinating looking at her mother and other house helps who were preparing fritters and sweets for the diwali occasion.

"Mumma I want to fry one."

"No jaan this oil is hot and it might hurt you." Ishita denied continued frying the fritters.

"Mumma why these fritters are not baking on my kitchen set." Roohi scrunched her nose looking at her mother. Ishita chuckled looking at her daughter who decorated her new kitchen set on the kitchen counter just next to stove. The Korean kitchen set was something different than usual plastic toys, the vegetables came along the set could be split into pieces, they also given noodles made by silicone just to give a realistic feeling. Since last night roohi is behind her kitchen set especially, Raman had bought another set of toys as well right from the doctor kit, a domino set, stationary goodies and interactive learning kits too but kitchen set is definitely fascinating among the all.