On the way to school...

Every morning I rush my kids to school in order to get them in before the bell rings and the doors close. On the way to school I remember my old school days.

I remember the days when mommy would shake me awake and daddy would bring tooth brush and paste direct to my bed. I would wait impatiently outside my sister's bathroom because there was a spider inside mine. My grandpa would shooo away the spider for me. I remember the days when grandma untangled and braided my hair while I did last minute homework. And the days when mom braided on one side and grandma braided on the other side making my face uneven.

On rainy days grandpa would lay stones/bricks in the puddle of water in front of our house so that we can cross over without wetting our shoes. I remember the days that daddy searched my unorganized closet for a matching pair of blue ribbon to go on my hair and polished my shoes until it shine. Just before leaving the house grandma would remind me to never talk to strangers.

Mommy would cool steamed milk under the fan so I could gulp it in faster. I remember the days when I woke up to the aroma of potato poriyal and lemon rice that mommy packs for lunch. Just thinking about it makes me hungry anytime. Mommy would hand me a glass of water before I leave home every morning and ask me to wipe off my milk mustache.

Daddy would read out my physics formulas and check my pencil box on exam day mornings. He would also fill up ink in my pens. On days that our rickshaw didn't show up which was a common scenario, daddy would drop us in the scooter.

I remember the days when mommy watched us from the balcony and grandpa watched us from the street corner until we disappeared from their sight. And then suddenly I felt lonely for a minute as I stood in front of the school doors watching my son disappear into his classroom hoping he will turn back to wave a goodbye. Soon I realized I was late for work so ran back to catch the train.