Surprise

Tulika was having an exceptionally good day. Everyone got out of bed in time. Her husband didn’t leave the newspaper in the loo. She could button up the very first pair of pants she wore. No one spilled half eaten food or drinks on her. Even her temperamental car started at the very first go. A rare, brilliant start.

Amoy her ten-year-old did give her a scare from the backseat, saying he left his math homework at home. He found it and it passed. She sighed and cranked up the radio and hummed along. She threw a quick look at her six-year-old daughter, Tara, who was being unusually angelic. She decided not to overanalyze it and crossed her fingers.

While waiting for the kids to get inside the school gates, she decided to check in with her boss and find out the status on the Singapore Project. He took the call on the very first ring and sounded terribly excited. The project was a success and he swore that this meant the long awaited promotion was hers.

Tulika smiled as she pulled away from the school, ‘ Hmmm, bliss.’ she murmured.

She dug into her huge bag and pulled out a Ziploc bag filled with some fruit, biscuits and a sandwich. She would soon pull into the traffic stop where she met a little girl everyday. The darling cherub looked around the same age as her daughter. She stood on the footpath everyday, offering to clean people’s cars with a dirty piece of cloth. A few weeks back Tulika had begun bringing her a packet of food, on her way to work.

The signal turned red and she stopped the car and looked out. The little girl skipped to the car and said ‘Good morning Madamji!’ Tulika smiled back and handed her the packet.

The little girl’s face lit up with delight. Every morning she looked as surprised as the first day.

And that’s when the sadness came.