The car had arrived in the morning.
There was a delay because of some issue, so they couldn't deliver it yesterday evening.
"I want to ride the car," Babu finally said.
As I had assumed, Babu is crazy about cars.
"No! Don't even touch it before the puja," Mom scolded him.
She's strict about doing a puja before touching anything new.
She even scolded Dad for trying to open the fridge before its puja when it was delivered earlier.
In our home-and in most homes-puja is compulsory.
Otherwise, be ready to face Mom's anger.
We were cutting crops. Everyone was tired, eating cucumbers with salt and red chili. The sun was blazing overhead.
"What's with the weather? Yesterday it was all cloudy, like it might rain any time... and now the sun is burning us," Mom complained.
"Ahh, the earth isn't like before. Everyone wants to drive a car. That's why pollution is rising and affecting the weather," Dad explained.
"Ohhh..." Mom sighed and continued eating her piece of cucumber.
"Mom, when will you do your puja?" Babu asked impatiently.
"This evening."
"Ahh, Mom, do it now!"
"Ahhh, don't be stubborn! I said I'll do it in the evening. Now go and cut the gobhi (cauliflower)!"
Babu couldn't go a day without getting scolded by Mom. He's really such an idiot sometimes.
Tej wasn't home he had already left for work. I woke up at 4 a.m. today just to see him, but he left without having breakfast. Mom was still sleeping, and so was Dad. Tej's office is far away, so he has to leave early. That's why he wakes up before the sun rises.
We greeted each other with a quiet "Good morning."
I was about to make chai, but he refused.
While wearing his shoes, he looked like the perfect employee bag in place, shirt neatly ironed everything about him was just perfect.
"Afternoon came quickly, and I was really tired. I went to the shop and bought an ice cream - it was the only shop near our home. In our area, there are no other houses nearby. We live on the outskirts of town, and there aren't many homes around. Life without neighbors is peaceful. But in the city, where I live in a small apartment, I can always hear noises coming from upstairs."
"The couple fights every morning... they throw plates at each other. Sometimes I wonder-what if they actually kill each other someday?"
"Anyway, at least I never experienced anything like that near my home. But now, it's time to leave... my seven-day holiday is almost over. Only tomorrow is left, and then I'll have to move back to the city. Back to that computer screen, the constant headaches, the taunts, the friends who ignore me... everything feels so bad there."
"Don't I want to leave that place? I asked myself this question for the first time. But what will I do if I leave? I can't stay at home forever, and to earn money, I have to live in the city. In the village, what work can I even do? There's nothing here except farming and family."
"And I'm not that good at farming. I just help my parents, but running a farming business on my own? I can't do that it's too difficult for me, I'm sure of it. Whatever the case, I can't deny my fate. I was born here, but I can't live here like Tej does. How he manages, only he knows... traveling three hours every day from office to home."
"It really sucks. I think he actually enjoys traveling... sitting in one place for hours only he can do that. I'm not that type of person. I can't sit still for long; it feels suffocating. And honestly, I really hate traveling. That's the main reason I only come home once in a few months."
Mom finished her puja. She made a swastika symbol on the front of the car and broke a coconut it's a holy ritual for Indians, like asking for God's blessings so that nothing bad happens in the future, like an accident or anything.
"Babu, drive..." Like I said, we were all seated - Mom and I in the back seat, and Dad in the front.
"Drive slow," Dad told Babu, and he slowed down. I looked out the window the growing crops, the birds flying, and the setting sun... it was a beautiful moment.
The smile on my parents' faces was more precious than anything. The sunset light entered the car, casting an orange-yellow glow on my mom's face. Her green saree shimmered in the light she looked beautiful.
"Babu, turn on the radio," she said.
Old music started playing. Dad smiled quietly, and Mom looked out the window.
Dad scolded her gently, "Don't stick your face out."
I smiled.
These little things-these emotional moments with our family-are what make you the richest person in the world. Everything felt perfect.
But... something was missing.
That one person.
What if he were here?
I wanted to see his laugh, his joy.
I don't know when he'll arrive...
It's not like I don't enjoy being with my family I really do.
We were on our way to meet Masi. She lives nearby, but I hadn't seen her in a long time.
The moment she saw me, she asked,
"Why have you become so thin? Don't you eat anything in the city?"
Like every other relative, she's just the same.
Their food doesn't even digest before they start taunting someone.
"Mom, she talked to masi., 'I want to go back home. I feel awkward in someone else's house; it makes me uncomfortable.' She offered me chai I couldn't refuse, so I took it and sipped slowly. The house was very beautiful.
The last time I came here, it looked different. There used to be a wall between the kitchen and the hall, but now it's gone. They've merged the two spaces it looks like they renovated it. This year on Diwali, I want to renovate our home too the old storeroom, the hall, and even my room. I've saved up some money for it. I want to break the wall of our kitchen. There's a lot of work to do."