i am looking forward to a long break...

... and all i want is great food, home-cooked and planned by Ma, late mornings when i can not only wake up late, but also brush for 10 minutes, have a hot cuppa of nicely brewed Darjeeing tea, glaze over the headlines of The Statesman, The Telegraph and The Times of India, in exactly the same order, have breakfast at leisure with Ma and R, and listen to all that Ma has to say, tell her my points of view and slip into bed for a small rest...

... to be broken by umpteen reminders for a bath... followed by yum food, a short siesta, tea again, then the trio, spread across three generations goes socialising or have guests drop over, or bro, sis-in-law and nephew join in for a loud get-together where more time goes in giggling and trying to stop the children fight than reach any conclusion in what we are trying to discusss, followed by dinner and late night chit-chats, catching up of old gossip, and slipping off to slumber amidst all the side-pillows...

but such days, i know for sure, will be few and far between, they will be peppered with more work, mindless socialising and phone calls, though i have tried to tell Ma that this time on, i am not going to make any phone calls, not go visiting anyone...

she has mastered the art of diplomacy quite well, so says, "don't worry, I am not even going to suggest such things to you", but i know the ease with which she will mention people whom she wants me to call/visit and leave the decision to me... and i will do what she wants... when she sees, i am not yielding, she will drop a hint, "you will know how i am feeling when once R comes visiting and she does not call on anyone, like B (bro), for instance." and she will have the better of me... this has been the story for the past 18 years... and we seem to just carry on being the same...