This REALLY did happen to me!! PART-III

So while I was unaware of the on goings happening without my knowledge, I busied myself in starting the washing machine and starting to prepare lunch. I placed the cooker and waited for the rice and dal placed within to get done. Meanwhile, I chopped the veggies and dint care how big or small the pieces ended up, I dint have the time to bother about such mundane things, any longer. I placed a pan on the gas and added the required ingredients and made sure this time I dint forget to add the salt, left the curry to get done, and started hanging  the clothes which got washed in the mean time, outside (A big thanks to whoever invented the washing machine! Phew!).

All that done, I got back inside and went to the kitchen, only to discover a burning smell coming from inside! I was in for a shock to discover that I had left the flame turned FULL ON, and the curry which I had made such a huge effort in preparing, had got burnt! God! Did all cooking disasters have to happen on the same day?!

 But I really dint have time to ruminate on how fair God was, and started the whole task again, with just half an hour to 1 o’clock- the deadline for the lunch to be ready at my home! Damn you rules! :P Finally, managing to make an un-burnt curry this time, I just barely made it in time to serve lunch right in time. This time at least, I made sure to taste what I had prepared, and only served it after I was satisfied, and got genuine appreciation from the family on being able to cook a good meal. I was really happy, for I had put in a lot of effort in it. Now came the time to face the huge pile of utensils to be cleaned. Why did we have to eat off steel plates? Weren't disposables the best alternative, any day?! Did I forget to mention, that in the middle of all this, I had to answer calls from aunts who called up to inquire on the health of my family, and also made sure that they’d drop by in the evening to personally visit them. Gujju aunts! After getting through with the huge mountain of vessels, now came the time for folding and stacking the dried clothes. After finishing that, I realized it was nearly 4:30, and time to serve the evening tea. Meanwhile, my siblings got back home from school, and my bro immediately settled in front of the TV. I decided that the little guy had behaved well enough and had earned himself the right to watch unlimited TV and exemption from his homework (which I wouldn't have to bother an explanation for, as it would conveniently be handled by my mom when she would be back to normal), as long as he dint come in my way for the rest of the evening. Come evening, and come my concerned aunts, whom I was supposed to offer tea and snacks as basic courtesy. I could see this ending up as myself cleaning up a lot of chinaware in the nearest future (Sigh again!).

This REALLY did happen to me‼ PART-II

Getting back, it was nearly 8:30 and I got into the kitchen immediately and started preparing breakfast for the three ailing people. Since it had to be something light, I thought of making the UPPU MAAVU. All thanks to my grandma who made me familiar with the kitchen and taught the basic dishes for survival, right from my school days!

The kitchen- BEFORE

 I decided to mimic my mom who prepares tea also side by side while she prepares the breakfast, and put the milk to heat, while adding the necessary ingredients in the uppu maavu. Luckily I was able to prepare both successfully (I believe very strong tea is good for people with fever, and nobody dare say that I over boiled it! :P ).

 So, with everything ready, I served them the breakfast and tea in their respective rooms, and came back to the kitchen to clear things up (I honestly dint make that much of a mess, but in such hurry, its excusable if certain things get spilled a little, here and there.) I then went to get fresh myself, as I realized I was in for a looooong day ahead! I got out and sat for breakfast myself, waiting to relish the dish I prepared all by myself. I ate a spoonful and realized something was definitely wrong.

The tasting

Was something wrong with my taste buds as I was tired after the hectic morning which I was not used to, or was there something wrong with the dish? I placed a hand on my forehead, just for assuring myself that I was fine, and then coming over to the sad conclusion that I had forgotten the UPPU (salt) in the uppu maavu!!

I felt bad that I had served this to my parents and grandma, and immediately went to check with them, praying fervently that the tastelessness that they felt would be passed off blaming it on the fever. I was surprised to see their plates empty, and decided to shut up for then and not ask them anything (It was later when I checked with my mom that I realized it isn't always how cheesy as how they show in Hindi serials that people eat or drink stuff even though it tastes horribly bad, just so that the maker doesn't feel bad. In my case, after mom had tasted a spoon of it, she threw off the rest of what was in her plate as well as my dad’s and grandma’s and served them biscuits and other snacks without my knowledge, while I was busy freshening up! I had to console myself that at least the not telling anything so that the person doesn't feel bad part was there in my case! :P ).

This REALLY did happen to me‼ PART-1

Call it unfortunate or sheer rotten luck, it so happened in the monsoon of 2013- when I was back home after earning a B.tech degree (and also bickering a lot - showing off about it, hell- a person doesn't graduate every other day!), a rainy June day, that my mom, grandma AND dad, were down with the fever, all at the same time! And grandpa was out of town. So the responsibility of managing the household from the following day fell upon yours truly! :P The best part was my lovely house-help lady had decided to take leave for that particular week itself! I knew I was in deep trouble this time- neck deep, GULP!

It might have been a record probably, that I woke up at 6:30 a.m. sharp (with a lot of “wake up, wake up” calls from my sister which probably dint work, so she ended up splashing water on my face! I plan on taking revenge for that later, but that day, believe it or not, I actually thanked her! :P And by the way, I have 2 siblings- a brother in the 5^th grade, and a sister in the 12^th.)

For those who don’t know me, I am a person who has never witnessed the glory of a dawn before 9 a.m. at the very least, during the holidays (Hey, give me some credit, it WAS a holiday!). I don’t call myself lazy, but I still wonder why my mom loves to call my name out a lot of times and destroy the peace of the house, to get me to do some work, which I have never disagreed to do, I just like doing it at my own time (Moms! *Sigh*).

The Sighing me! ;) :D

So, continuing, the events of the day- where was I? Oh yeah, I woke up early, made lunch for my siblings- luckily mom had kept everything ready the night before, and so I just ended up heating and stirring the veggies, adding some masalas and salt here and there upon my jurisdiction. But I also made the rotis all by myself, proud to say- they were perfectly circular, apart from the slight burns here and there (it was 6’o clock- I was barely awake and I was doing all that without any help!). With the lunch all packed up, the next aim was to get my younger brother up and ready for his school bus in time, it would leave at sharp 8! With the clock ticking and only around 30 minutes at hand, I somehow pulled him out of bed, got him to get fresh and ready, with his uniform shirt neatly tucked in, all within 15 minutes (Let’s keep my methods ranging from bribes of giving him chocolates and his favorite comic, to nasty threats of not giving him the remote control to the TV after he got back home, to ourselves. My mom needn't know the secret to my success)- a rare feat my mom could never achieve, because my li’l bro keeps running here and there, even so early in the morning.

Satisfied at my achievement, I stood back to take a look at him and silently patting my back at being able to make him look so smart in the uniform. It was then, that he told me with a cheeky grin, that I had made a mistake- I had handed him the wrong sky blue shirt and navy blue shorts uniform. It was the day of the white uniform! God! Couldn't he tell it earlier?!

I managed to keep my calm and immediately asked him to get out of the wrong one while I got him the right one. He was ready and set to go with still 5 minutes in hand for his bus to leave. I dropped him off and got back home, when I saw my sister ready and waiting for me to drop her off. Since her bus stop is not so near, I took the scooter out and dropped her at the respective location as well. On the way back home, I was driving past the beach and thinking of how not so bad I was at managing things at home, and enjoying the breeze. As I turned towards the lane that leads to my home, I was violently shaken out of my reverie and faced a near death experience (My inner self sympathetic voice speaking- my dad was more worried whether the scooter had suffered any scratches or not!) as the scooter skidded a bit at the turning due to the slippery road left by a night full of heavy rain. Luckily nothing much happened as I managed to prevent it from falling, and reached home quite safe and sound, only a bit shaken.