It was late and the party was in full swing. Little Utpal had enjoyed himself, eaten to his heart's content and consumed large quantities of cold drinks, not because he was thirsty but because of the tall glass and the coloured straw..
I held him on my lap and my hand indavertently touched one of his ugly scars.. a reminder of all the pain this tiny braveheart went thorugh... we all, even I, tend to forget the kind of pain this child experienced for what today would add up to a third of his whole life.. anyway I hugged him tight.. today was the last of the revelries of p and j's wedding and tomorrow life would take on its usual course..
As I held him, I asked him whether we would meet tomorrow.. just a redundant question for which I really did not expect an answer. To my utter surprise he answered in his serious little way: " Kal tum mere ghar chai pina" - tomorrow you come to tea to my home!
Somehow my little mr popples felt that he had to return the hospitality he had enjoyed for the past three days. When I asked him want he would give me he said "I will put sugar in the tea"!
Why are my eyes clouded as I write these words...Labels: utpal