https://mouthshut.com/diary/djehmqmlr/The-Evening-Star7
Things started changing; the life was back in house. Raghav was more involved now. Snigdha was chirpy again. But one thing that didn’t change was the evening session. Snigdha, Jackie and the mud bed! Once or twice Meghna tried to lure her with cartoons, indulge her in some interesting topic, but she would eventually go. Jackie would never force her, but she could see the wait in his eyes. Finally she stopped trying.
Once she quietly climbed the stairs, to check what exactly they do that time. And she peeped. She saw Jackie and Snigdha lying in the mud bed. Snigdha was looking at the sky. She was guessing the shapes of the clouds.
See Jackie, she pointed, that one looks like a giraffe. And that one looks like Rita the moti. You know what happened today, she pushed me for nothing. But I got up and looked at her and then stepped on her foot and ran away. That fatso could not catch me. baah baaaah, she hollered. That’s what she do all the time, when she could not do anything better.
And there was a silence. Meghna understood the importance of that time, place and bond. Snigdha was venting out her struggles in school, hard times, her anger, which was very important. We cannot imagine what all our kids face in school. They are much stronger than we think them to be.
And she quietly came down.
But now, since she understood, the importance of that time, she would sit in stairs, now and then hearing the good bad and the ugly of Snigdha’s life. The way stars join together to form a bus. The high end drama, when her painting was selected for the exhibition. The transformation of a plane in a flying dragon, who is looking for the fat Rita, as he thinks, she would be very tasty. The applaud she got for the best presentation in the class.
Raghav joined the school. Things were much more systematic. He also enjoyed the colours but he was not as fascinated as Snigdha was at his age. He preferred cars. So the dream room had a car section as well. Snigdha would draw a racing car and Raghav would be a happy boy.
Along with all the efforts, changes happened but at the same time some changes happened with time, like growing up of Snigdha and Raghav, but with them Jackie, who was now growing old. Meghna saw a gradual change in Jackie. He is no longer that robust dog. Though that walk would still kill, but that crispness is fading away. She saw the creamy fur getting white streaks here and there. Now he would take some time to climb up the stairs. Jackie is getting older. Yes, he is almost nine as well.
Mona was aging as well, but the grace she has, she is always an inspiration.
“Meghna now Jackie is entering in his old age. He will need some extra care from your side. He has got the best of everything from you guys, that’s why he is still in a very good shape, as compared to dogs of his age. Still a controlled diet, walks would help him stay in good shape”.Meghna was slowly absorbing all the words. Two to three years at the max, how will I console Snigdha, she shivered, her eyes filled. Mona saw her expression, and read her mind.“Meghna, it is inevitable. We have to accept it”
Snigdha was a butterfly, who came out from her cocoon. The balance Meghna created between Raghav and her did wonders. Snigdha was an all rounder kid. And Raghav was following her footsteps, they both were quick learners. Snigdha was not only a bright child but a very interesting aspect about her was her analyzing power. Somewhere, she was observing Jackie and she knew he is getting old. He would take more time than her to reach the terrace. He would eat slowly, he would pant quickly, he wont be able to chase her for long time, locating the ball in dusk would be a problem for him.
She adjusted her with him, she would slow down and climb up in sync with him, she would not play with ball in dusk time, she would not make the chase endless. And somewhere, she would not leave any chance, where she could hug him and tell him I love you Jackie, you are my best friend. And Jackie would lick her back and she would giggle. The most innocent giggle in the whole world!
https://mouthshut.com/diary/iaifpqmlr/The-Evening-Star9
