The “Maa” Sentiment.

October 19, 2009 at 12:31 pm (Uncategorized)

A few days ago, I was ‘helping’ my son have his dinner. (My husband had given both of us not-so favourable feedback on me spoon-feeding him even after the kid turned 5) With no tv to distract him from what’s going into his mouth, he begged me for at least a story. So I picked up a book and read him a mealtime story. But the story finished before the food.

My son  insisted he cannot finish his meal. In a desperate attempt to placate him, I told him a very, very short story on how I got duped when I was his age. A story about a beautiful pencil. My mother had bought me this beautiful pencil and all my friends at school thought it was so cool.

During the lunch break, a boy came across and showed me a bunch of about 30 pencils. “Wow!” I’d  gushed.

“All these are yours!” he’d said. “You give me your beautiful pencil in return.”

I was torn between losing my beautiful pencil and owning 30 pencils. Finally my greed won. I handed him my pencil. He grabbed it and added it to his collection and ran away shouting “Hey guys! Look at this new addition to my collection!”

I thought my son would find it really funny.

But he was furious.

“Did you get back your pencil, Amma?”

“No, baby! I told you, he ran away with it! Haha..”

“Did you beat him up?”

“No!”

“What was his name?”

I told you, it happened soooo many years ago. I don’t remember!”

With that I wiped his mouth, gave him a glass of water and went back to my comp to complete some work.

A little later, he clambered on to my lap.

“Amma, I’m so upset…” He said.

“Why, kanna?”

“With that boy..”

I had totally forgotten the story by now.

“Huh?”

“The boy who stole your new pencil”

“Oh that! Don’t worry about it now. It was only a story to get you to finish your dinner!”

“You mean you lied?!”

“No! It did happen. But it was soo long ago. So don’t worry about it now.”

“I’m going to ask Hanuman to kill that boy!” he announced with his chin quivering.

The more I tried to brush it off the more agitated and angry he became.

Finally I distracted him with some tv and went for my shower.

Soon enough there was an angry knock.

“AMMA!”

“Yes!”

“Did you tell your teacher about it?”

By now I was so fed up with the whole thing and was beginning to wish I’d never opened my stupid mouth about the beautiful pencil.

” Yes, I did!” I lied.

“Did she shout at him?”

“Yes!”

“Did he cry?”

“Yes!”

“Yippeeeee!!!! You made him cry!!! Nannannaananaana!!!!”

Now I know where our movie makers get the inspiration for their “Maa Sentiment”!