Scene 1:

The Hubby and I have had a big fight and we are not on talking terms with each other for the past two days. He walks around with a “khadoos” expression on his face and I walk around, just plain disgusted. If we bump into each other while walking around the house, we hastily side step or turn around, making a great show of the action. I purse my lips and roll my eyes upwards when I see him sulking. If the need arises, we communicate through the kids. When in the same room, we perform the best possible impersonations of “stone face”. While sleeping at night, I yank the blanket off him as I hardly have any for myself. He yanks some of it back again; deliberately takes deep and loud breaths to show his anger ( imagine a bull huffing and puffing through his nose) and sulks off to sleep. Me? I am not into such juvenile behaviour ; I just roll my eyes off to sleep ( pulling the blanket completely off him).

Scene 2:

The next day, Anya, my elder daughter returns from school.

Anya :  Are you and Papa talking to each other now?
Me : No. And who tells you to notice such things, anyway?
( We withhold the shenanigans till the kids are awake. Once they are asleep; well, the arena is set for our performances)
Anya : Come on Mumma, we always come to know.
Me : Everybody’s parents fight. We will be fine.
Anya : Has Papa said sorry to you and touched your feet, while holding both his ears?
( I plead guilty. Blush. I have told her that I ONLY talk to her Papa again when he performs all the above mentioned rituals )
Me : Come, let’s eat lunch.

Scene 3 :

I walk up to the hubby/sulking bull and stand in front of him, willing him to look up.

Me : I Forgive you. ( waving my hand magnanimously at him ).
Hubby : What ????
Me : Yes, I forgive you.
Hubby : Really, your highness? May I ask why?
Me : Because one of us has to be the bigger person here, and I am obviously the one.
Hubby : WHAT !! No! “I” forgive you.
Me : Too late. I have done the honours. You have been forgiven.
Hubby : I FORGIVE YOU.

Both of us start laughing. The kids come running and join in the laughter.

Anya : Taidu, Papa has said sorry to Mumma. He touched her feet and held his ears with both his hands.
Taidu : Before that, he stood in front of her with folded hands and also did “Utthakk Baitthakk” a hundred times.
Anya : How do you know that ?
Taidu : Mumma told me.

The hubby does a triple take and gasping for breath,manages to blurt out  ” WHAT? Where’s your darling Mumma?”

In case you too are looking around for me, I am standing behind the bathroom door; rubbing my hands in glee. What? Did you just say that you saw horns on my head? Well, just for this once, you can get away with saying that. ( because you read the whole article )

I FORGIVE YOU !

© Nov 2016 Sapna Dhyani Devrani