Team Blog-o-holics entry 7, week 1
Read the previous entry by Sumi here
"Where is mumma?" asked Roohi for the nth time with tears in her eyes, but Shekhar couldn't reply anything else except that she would be here soon. Roohi knew it was a lie. She has heard this since the past three days. She was scared. She started making "what-if" stories in her head, which frightened her even more. Her eyes swelled and she refused to eat.
She remembered the last time she saw her while she dragged her to the school. At that time,she was scared of her knowing that she forgot to do her homework. Some situations are less frightening when you look at them after they pass because now Roohi secretly prayed to god that she would do her homework every single day when her mother comes back. "Please god, let mumma come back home soon. I promise, I'll do my homework every day." She repeated several times a day. She even blamed herself once thinking the teacher told Tara about her notorious deeds in the class and it might be possible that she is punishing her. Whatever it was, the naughty happy-go-lucky Roohi who flaunted her frilly frocks now stayed locked in her room and stayed grumpy.
Shekhar never thought that the absence of Tara would affect Roohi to such an extent. Being a workaholic Tara was, she never devoted much time to her rather than dropping her to school or making her delicious meals at night. It was he who stayed at home and takes care of the home and their daughter. He did mind the gender swap in their roles but he did grew accustomed to it but when he saw Roohi acting this way, it pinched him more. The fire of jealousy in him, which he tamed for so long tried to come back. The flames slowly engulfed him, but he took himself in control and focused on Roohi whom he loved so much.
Shekhar kissed her on the forehead and told her that everything is just going to be just fine and that mumma would be here soon. He gently tucked her in the comfort of her favorite cozy soft pink blanket and started reciting her a bedtime story like every night but Roohi wasn't sleeping tonight. She had so many questions that remained unanswered, the fright in her eyes stayed her wide awake unable to get to to the realm of fairytales. "Why isn't reality like fairytales?" she thought. "Sleep now!" said Shekhar and Roohi immediately shut her eyes.
After a while, she was successful in pretending that she fell asleep and Shekhar left her room. She peeped from under the blanket and watched him leave. She then slowly tiptoed across the room and held the photograph of last summer where she went to Disneyland with her parents. She quietly went back to bed and hugged the photograph.
Roohi wasn't sleeping. At least not tonight.
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