How does baby get into mommy's tummy?

“Mama, how did I get in your tummy?” my li’l one questions me showing me the video clip of my pregnancy days I’ve in my phone. “Let me see,” is all I can mutter feeling my cheeks burning under the gaze of my in-laws sitting beside me. Had it been just me and my kids I would have explained in detail, wait a second! How does one explain to three years old about babies and how they end up in their mommy’s tummy?
I know my li’l one has reached the WHY STAGE and she is bound to have a lot of queries but I wasn’t prepared for this particular question; especially not at dinner time when everybody in the family is gathered together.
“God plants seed in mommy’s tummy,” my all-knowing ten years old Niece comes to my rescue. She always has answer for every query and all her responses revolve around God, saints and ghosts. I scold her for bringing in Gods and ghosts in our conversation most of the times. But I was happy that she at least had that ready answer to fill the awkward silence I offered to my li’l one.
“Akhai, it’s not God!” an angry retort from my elder daughter leaves me dumb founded. I turn my attention to the bukhari as if hoping the crackling fire to help me provide me a reasonable response. I truly wish they would forget the talk or at least go to another movie clip. I have a lot of other interesting movie clips they can watch rather than the one they are stuck on.
“Mama eats a lot of food and her tummy gets bloated, “my elder daughter gives her reasoning. She looks at me to seek my approval and not finding any hint of it in my abashed face, she meekly adds,”…and out comes baby!”
But my li’l one doesn’t buy her elder sisters wise cracks. She further probes,” mam…ma…” I pull her closer and snatch the phone and show her the movie clip of her sister singing hindi songs. “Ana gi chuma yekcha gothcho na,” I add a forced laughter to get my li’l one’s attention.” ong ni ong ni,” she adds and quickly gets engrossed in it.
Baby and how they get into the tummy is forgotten. Thank God for giving kids short attention span.

The Magic Hug

Shrill screams, creaks of tables and chairs being pushed almost blasts my ears. “Is this what I wanted in life?” I question myself with my nose and eyes playing a race in who gets to shed most water out of each. The dusts from the floor boards send another round of sniffling snot down my nose. I quickly reach out for a tissue to wipe it before the screaming kids stop their monkey business to laugh at me.
It’s back to school time yet again. But this time with the change in the school, I start doubting my own interest in being a teacher. Walking in a classroom filled with mature students is a totally different experience from being in a class filled with li’l kids screaming all over; some with complaints and some just screaming for the sake of their age.
With His Majesty’s B’day celebration just round the corner, all of us are busy with preparations. My li’l group jumped with full alacrity when they heard that we have to perform a dance from our class. Seeing their interest I was relieved that my old limbs are going to be free. But their interest and ability ended with the choosing of song. “Ngesem, Ngesem, madam!” and before I could even provide another option I found them lining up for the dance. But when the music actually started, there were only coy giggles.
All eyes on me, they pleaded for steps. Ensuring that the classroom door was latched, I stood up and started the one-two-one-two according to the beat. After two hours we had the steps ready for the entire song. “Madam, kho gi lab shey mee tubay la!” I hear a li’l girl complaining. Never knew boys had apprehension in holding hands with girls. Well, maybe they get ready for that only with age (kidding!).
Agitated after repeated order to hold hands, I scold the li’l boy. Tears flood his cheeks and his snot follows suit. The mother in me stirs. I pull him in my arms and say sorry. His snot wets my tego but I don’t wipe it. I let him go only after his tears stop. The others look at me as I let him go. I see love in those tiny pairs of eyes looking at me.
After that he holds the girl readily (Magic hug has done the trick).
I repeat my previous apprehension about my career in my heart. Looking at the innocent faces dancing to my steps I shove that thought away instantly. No! This career choice shall never be wrong.
“Ngesem, ngesem,….” I dance with my twenty tiny tots.

Walking back in time

“Can you believe, we are still friends, I mean after all these years…” Dechen pauses, as if trying to thread our eighteen years of friendship in one single neckpiece. “I told my office friends that I’m meeting the three of you today and they were surprised, I mean, people hardly remain in touch after High School.” She added with her bass voice. I giggled remembering how the boys in our class gave her the nickname, ‘soundbox’, back in the year 1994.
“What, you mean we shouldn’t be in touch after school days?” Rinchen spoke clearing her nose. I let off another giggle with another anecdote hitting my memory. Dechen ( not the same one mentioned above) always had a problem eating with Rinchen and her stuffy nose.
“But this whole length of time proves that we have always been true friends,” Dendup smiled and spoke at the same time. Dendup always have been all smiles. It was always her easy smiles that made her an easy secret box among all others. I giggled, yes! Another reminder from the good old days! Rinchen and I would always fight for our right over Dendup during our three years of stay in hostel.
“…And look who is doing the ‘mute’ role today!” all three of them snapped at me.
I giggled. Back in the High school days I was the most talkative and had that confidence of carrying myself high and among the achievers. But eighteen years, and how different life had molded us all!
We laughed. We shared stories from past. We filled in the present. But most of the time was spent in going back to past.
“If I am given an opportunity to go back in time, you know what?” Dechen laughed before she could even present her hilarious wish. “I would definitely want to go back in time but…” she eyed us with a naughty smile playing around her almost visible fine lines under her eyes, “…with a Hair straightener. I wouldn’t share it with anyone of you. I would enjoy my sleek straight hair while you guys go back with your copi hair.” She roared with laughter.
We shared another roar of laughter remembering our hairstyles back then. It was those 90’s punk bulk of hair cropped at the ears and amassed on the top. We loved our hair back then.
Rinchen wanted to go back to those days with the present day salary. “We can live the present lifestyles in those moments!” she reasoned out. Fair enough.
“I just want to take all three of you back to those ICSE days,” she smiled again, perhaps thinking of some of the naughty things we learnt for the first time during that time.
“Cooked! Let’s eat,” I emerged out of the kitchen.
All of them looked at me with their questioning glare. I knew they were waiting for me to add what I wanted to take back in time.
“Well, “I heaved heavily. “ I don’t want to go back to past, I want to take your time machine and go to the future and would love to seek revenge for all these years you guys made me cook for you all.”
“Teach us,” they grinned.
I laughed back at them. They know that they can never master my culinary talent no matter how successful they might be in life.
All four of us roared with laughter!