A Secret Keeper

Rekha woke up around her customary time, only to realise that the alarm had not rung. No sooner did she cherish the thought of catching some more sleep than the alarm rang. She cringed, turned it off & tried to get out of bed; the only hindrance was that her limbs felt like lead. The last three days of festival cooking, running pillar to post & pooja were showing the after-effects. She thought, "It's Friday. I can get some sleep at noon & catch up over the weekend." With sheer willpower, she managed to get out of bed & got cracking with her morning routine. While getting out of bed felt like a mammoth task, waking up her daughter Raashi seemed like a Herculean task. The little child had thoroughly enjoyed three days of festival & late morning sleep; now, she would not wake up. Raashi groaned, cried & was adamant, but Rekha persisted & soothed the child. Every minute in the morning was precious; Rekha deftly ran the kitchen & prepped her daughter efficiently. After sending her daughter to school, Rekha planned her chores for the day & looked forward to the siesta.

At noon, Rekha picked Raashi from the school-designated bus stop. The child seemed dull, but Rekha dismissed it, assuming she was sleep-deprived. While feeding hot lunch, Rekha casually inquired, "How was school today? What did you do?" Raashi looked at her mother & burst into tears. Confused & worried, Rekha continued to question the child. The more the mother demanded, the more the child cried. The helpless mother tried to console her daughter but in vain.

Rekha's tiredness & sleepiness had vanished. She was set with pure fright & panic. She cuddled her child & said, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me anything." Though Rekha feared the worse, she did not know what else to do at the moment. In the chaos, Rekha's phone rang. Once she picked the call from the other side, Kanika spoke nonstop. Kanika hadn't paid attention that there wasn't a greeting from the other side. In the end, she stated, "Aunty, I called to confirm Amma & I are coming over on Sunday." Only then did she hear her little cousin's weeping & aunt's sniffing. She inquired, "What happened?" Rekha explained the whole ordeal & Kanika said, "Oh, don't worry! I'm sure it's something silly. Calm her down & put her to sleep. Weekend, when we get there, we will figure it out. Please do not panic or imagine the worse." Rekha could not think of an alternative solution.

Rekha anxiously waited for her husband Ram's arrival & recited the whole story. The couple decided not to upset the child & eagerly looked forward to the weekend. On a Sunday morning, mother-daughter duo Kanika & Kumudini arrived at Rekha's place. Raashi was excited to greet & meet the guests. After a while, Kanika led Raashi to her room & they played. Kanika casually questioned the child & she responded without any trepidation. Eventually, Kanika asked, "Raashi, Amma told you were crying on Friday. What happened?" Raashi's cheerful face transformed into a dull & worried look in no time.

Kanika coaxed the child & Raashi did not budge. Kanika stretched her arms towards the child & Raashi crawled into her lap. Kanika cuddled & whispered into the child's ear. "You can tell me anything. I will be your secret keeper & won't share it with anyone." Raashi's tear-filled eyes looked up at Kanika. Raashi stretched her right hand with all the fingers folded except the little finger. Raashi asked, "Pinky promise?" Kanika smiled & interlocked her little finger with the child's little finger. She kissed the child's forehead & assured, "Pinky, promise."

Raashi spoke with fear, "Piyush is in my class & a friend. He shares his toys only with me. He always sits beside me." Kanika listened intently & nodded to Raashi's narration. Raashi continued, "That day, he said, I love you, to me." Kanika waited, but Raashi spoke no more. Kanika questioned, "Then what happened?" Raashi said, "It's a bad thing, so I came home & cried." Kanika hugged the child & said, "Aw! It's not a bad thing. It only means that he likes you more than everyone else in the class." Confused, Raashi looked at Kanika.

Kanika stated, "Raashi, I love you!" then it dawned on the child. Kanika questioned, "Why didn't you tell this to Amma?" Raashi responded, "I thought it's a bad thing. Amma would scold me, so I did not tell." Kanika said, "That's okay. If you don't want to tell your parents, then you can always tell me. Pinky promise?" Raashi nodded & their fingers interlocked again. Kanika continued, "You cried so much that your parents are worried. Now can we tell them about Piyush?" Raashi was terrified & resisted. Kanika guaranteed, "I will tell your parents & ensure they don't scold you. Is that okay?" Raashi agreed with reluctance.

As Kanika & Raashi walked out to the living area with a smile, the parents relaxed. While Kanika cuddled the child & narrated the sweet budding love story, Raashi settled in Kanika's lap & hid her face. The parents were relieved & happy. Kanika hinted at her Aunt & Rekha said, "I love you, Raashi." Raashi peeped at her mother & then looked up at Kanika. Kanika smiled, raised her eyebrows & asked, "Now do you believe me?" Raashi nodded & ran up to her mother. Teared up, Rekha cuddled her child & repeatedly said, "I love you." Then it was Ram's turn to shower his love. As the air had cleared, Rekha excused herself to prepare filter coffee. Everyone chatted in the living room until Raashi's friends came looking for her & she ran to join them.

Rekha served coffee made from freshly milled coffee beans. Kumudini savoured hot coffee & stated, "History repeats." While Kanika & Rekha exchanged a puzzled look, Ram seemed a little uncomfortable. Kumudini said, "When Kanika was in kindergarten, her classmate had said, 'I love you.' She had come home crying." Kanika exclaimed, "What? I don't even remember!" Kumudini continued, "She cried so much that she got hiccups. At the time, Ram had said, Kanika is getting proposals in kindergarten; what will happen in her college days? What will you do?" Everyone burst into laughter. Ram had the most cumbersome look & he tried hard to smile. Kumudini continued, "Your daughter's proposal started at play home? So, what will happen at high school?"

Take Away

• Every child must have a secret keeper to share incidents/experiences. For children (both boy & girl) may fear sharing everything with a parent.

• What goes around, comes around.