Coolie Chor
"Maa…" Krishna climbed on the stool and perched herself on the kitchen counter and watched Bani mixing dough.
"Cookies…Christmas cookies. You want to help me." She asked, watching the machine mixing turning the mixture.
"Yeah…maa…can put sprinkles on?"
Bani stopped the machine and patted Krishna's cheek. "Yes…you can. Now how picking out shapes for the cookies…here look in this box and see."
Bani opened a plastic box and handed it to Krishna, who quickly rummaged in the box, looking at the plastic and metal cookie cutters.
"This one…a tree….and this one a star…and this one…like teddy bear…and this one…too…maa…looks like a flower."
Bani set the cutters aside that Krishna picked out. She quickly rolled the dough and then cut out the shapes and put them on baking sheet. Krishna sprinkled the red and green coloured sugar on the cookies and then watched Bani put the trays in the oven.
Bani laughed as Krishna ate the coloured sugar getting it all around her mouth. "Come let me clean up your hand and your mouth…"
After cleaning her up, Bani set Krishna down. "Go and play…and then you can have cookies and milk for snack."
"How long does it take to cook the cookies?" Krishna asked, even though she did not know how to tell time.
"Few minutes, but then we have to let them cool…otherwise you burn your mouth."
Krishna happily ran off to play, looking forward to cookies as a treat afterwards.
Bani cleaned up in the kitchen. When she finished, the timer on the oven buzzed too. She quickly took out the cookies and put them on a rack to cook. The smell of freshly baked cookies filled the kitchen.
"Hmmm…what do I smell?" Bani heard Jai's voice as he walked into the kitchen. Jai looked at the cookies, "Hah…you have been baking …and cookies. I love home baked cookies…especially by you." Bani hit Jai's hand as he reached for one. "No Jai…you can't have one yet. You have to wait till Krissy comes down."
"One please Bani…" Jai said making a puppy face.
"No Jai…out of the kitchen. Plus I know how one, becomes, two and then three." Bani said with her hands on the hips.
Jai made a face, "Meanie…no kissy for you…only for Krissy."
Bani laughed, "Haan…now you will patao your darling beti so you can eat the cookie."
Jai poked his tongue out and marched off to find Krishna.
He found Krishna sitting with masi and dadi…watching Disney movie…Beauty and the Beast. She clapped and tried to sing the words to the song "Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Get your worries off your chest…"
When she saw Jai, she jumped up and ran to Jai, "Papa…come watch…the teapot is dancing…" She clung to Jai's hand and then climbed up on his lap as he sat down on the sofa.
"Masi…dadi…hello."
Masi and dadi, both smiled at him. "Chalo…tu agaya…humari chutti…abh tu dekh yeh movie isski saath…hum chale…garden mei."
"Koi baat nahi…masi. Aap jayeye." Jai made sure masi and dadi left, before saying to Krishna, "Krishu…are you hungry?"
Krishna shook her head, too engrossed in watching Belle and the beast talking. She shushed Jai, "Not now papa…look papa…isn't the beast scary. But Belle is not scared."
"No…Belle is a brave girl…she loves the beast. Krishy…mommy made cookies."
"I know papa…" Krishna replied mater of factly, "I helped put sprinkles on."
"Don't you want to eat one?" Jai asked hopefully, trying his hardest to divert Krishna's attention.
"Papa…after the movie finishes…milk and cookies…maa said she will give me."
Jai sighed, his tummy was rumbling hungrily at the thought of the cookies. He sat feeling bored. He couldn't leave Krishna alone as he had told masi he would watch her. After few minutes, he watched Bani go into the garden. Setting Krishna on the sofa, he whispered, "I will be back Krishu…don't go anywhere." Krishna did not hear. Jai slipped off towards the kitchen. His jaw dropped when he found the kitchen counter empty. Bani had put the cookies away. Now where? He wondered. He couldn't go looking through all the cupboards as Bani might walk in. Jai left the kitchen disappointed and feeling mad at Bani.
When Bani came and joined them, Jai mumbled an excuse and walked away to the study. Bani smiled, she had seen Jai walking out of the kitchen with a grumpy face.
Jai kept to the study and only came out when called for dinner. Krishna chattered away, Jai half paid attention, still annoyed about the cookies.
At night Krishna walked into the study, "Papa…good night. Papa…I being a good girl and going to sleep early. Maa said…Santa only brings gifts for good girls…and we left some cookies and milk for Santa…cause maa said Santa gets hungry…he has to deliver pressies to all the kids." She pulled on Jai arm and puckered her lips for a kiss. Jai couldn't resist and he leaned down and let Krishna kiss him on cheek. "Good night poppet…see you in the morning."
"I hope he leaves me a big present papa." Krishna said excitedly. Jai ruffled her hair, "He will…now run off and go to sleep."
It was quiet when Jai came out of the study. He saw the Christmas tree lights twinkling in the corner of the room and walked up to it. A pile of gifts were scattered at the base and then in the corner he saw cookies and a glass of milk. Jai smiled and picked one up and ate. It tasted good, he couldn't resist and picked up another one and then another one until he had eaten half the cookies. He picked up one more and took a bite. "Papa…those are for Santa!" he heard Krishna shriek.
Jai turned and saw Krishna standing, clutching her favourite teddy bear and glowering at him. "Maa…" she yelled. Jai stood with half eaten cookie in his hands as lights came on. Bani stood with her nightgown wrapped tightly around him. Krishna ran up to him and pointed at Jai, "Maa…papa…he ate Santa's cookie…he is chor…now Santa will not leave me pressie" she wailed tearfully.
Bani picked up Krishna, "Oh Krishu…don't cry. See Santa has already been and left pressie. And he probably ate a cookie as well. Papa is only finshing off what Santa did not."
Krishna rubbed her hands down her cheek and sniffled, "Sachi…papa didn't eat all the cookie."
"Of course not…come see…there are the gifts and look the cookie plate is almost empty." Bani said pointing to the plate.
Krishna smiled, believing what Bani just told her, "Maa can open my present?" she asked, eyeing the colourfully wrapped gifts."
Bani set her down and picked up a small one, "Only one…rest tomorrow."
Krishna grabbed the gift and then she smiled at Jai, and said in the sweetest of voice, "Papa…will you read me a bedtime story?"
Jai grinned and giving a cheeky look to Bani, "Yes…poppet…and can papa eat one more cookie…cause papa gets hungry too…reading the story."
Bani rolled her eyes and laughed, while Krishna, nodded her head vigorously, her hair flying around her face. "You can eat them all papa…Santa is gone."
Half an hour later, Jai walked into the room to find Bani sitting up in bed, waiting for him. "So…cookie chor…you should get punishment for eating Santa's cookies." Jai flopped down and looked up at Bani with a satisfied look on his face. "Punish me…but you know…I should be mad at you for hiding those cookies in the first place."
Bani pulled his cheek, "Yes…because I knew…you would sneak into the kitchen. I saw you." And then laughing, "You looked so grumpy."
Jai tugged at her arm, sending her crashing on his chest. Locking his arm around her, "It's not funny to torture me in such a way…I couldn't help it…those cookies smelt so good." Nuzzling her further, Jai mumbled against her neck, "You must do more baking Bani…because…" and breathing against her skin, "You smell like those cookie too."
THE END
Cricket
