New OS: Aditya Raman Kumar Bhalla Dont you dare!!!

Aditya Raman Kumar Bhalla... Don't you dare!!!

"ADITYA RAMAN KUMAR BHALLA... Don't you dare take a step out of this house... get back here right now and finish you breakfast... your football can wait..." I smile as I hear my mom shout at me... Romi Chachu, Shravu and Ruhi give me weird looks as they see me smile while my mother is yelling at me... I immediately rearrange my face to look sombre, turn around and walk to the dining table... I bend my head a mumble a "Thank you Ishima" as I sit down to eat my favourite breakfast... Chachu thinks I am weird... my day starts with the "Aditya Raman Kumar Bhalla" rant... and trust me it is the best way to start my day...

Every morning at 5.30 am, my mother walks into my room with a cup of filter coffee and a Tamil newspaper in her hand... she walks up to me, keeps the cup and paper on the side table, sits next to me and kisses my forehead... next she thanks her Murugan and Mata Rani for giving her a beautiful and healthy son (I have stopped trying to convince her that her son is HANDSOME... not BEAUTIFUL!!!)... She then pulls the quilt off the bed and asks me to wake up... not realizing that I am already awake every morning... waiting for my Ishima... as usual I hold her hand and make her sit on the bed... I keep my head on her lap and just lie there... my eyes closed... taking in the aroma of her filter coffee as she drinks it... listening to the crackling sound of her Tamil Newspaper as she methodically reads through 16 pages of Tamil news...

This has been our routine for the last 6 months... since the day I chose to stay with Papa and Ishima, every morning I wake up with my mother beside me... every morning for thirty minutes it is just me and my Ishima... neither of us speak... but in silence we thank God for each other...

Exactly at 6 am my Ishima get up and asks me get ready for football practise... I pretend that I am too sleepy just to hear her yell "ADITYA RAMAN KUMAR BHALLA... don't you dare lie down again... I want you in the bathroom in exactly 30 seconds... oh... and do not forget to wash behind you ears!!!" yes... my day has begun... while I am getting ready I can hear her persuade Ruhi to get up and get dressed for the kathak classes... in the middle I also hear Papa yell for my Ishima... he cannot... rather does not do anything without her in the morning... they are the cheesiest couple I know... finding corners all the time to kiss... whispering I Love You to each other every second... GOD!!! They can be embarrassing... I mean... just last week they both insisted that they would drop me at my friend's birthday party... it was a lovely party... for the first 20 minutes... because after that... all my friends were glued to the window... watching my Mom and Dad romance in parking lot... happily dancing in the rain... I seriously questioned Murugan about my parents' IQ that day... it was raining heavily and these two were oblivious to everything... and then they spent the next day bickering about whose fault it was... all the time sneezing...

It is time to leave for practise... and Ishima is going to drop Ruhi and me to the summer camp... never have I had a summer where my mom has been there for every or for that matter any practise session... but with Ishima... every day I experience a new way of being her son... Papa kept saying that it was embarrassing... that teenagers did not like it if their mammas shadowed them everywhere... and I pretended to agree with him... I don't want to hurt him... I have done that a lot in the past... but I want Ishima to come... my team mates think that I am weird... I mean let's face it... I am thirteen years old and I want my mom to tag along with me... but they don't realize... for me having my mom... or for that matter anyone taking an interest in my life is a gift... yes my mom did not give birth to me... but she made me realize what it is to be a son... how it feels when someone thinks of you before them... when they protect you from the world... when even an I Love You Ishima written on a torn tissue by you is treasured and kept safely as if it is the most precious item in the world... I may be thirteen years old... but it is only on the last six months that I have understood what having a mother with you all the time means...

It is 11 in the morning... we have had an exhausting football practise session... as I open the car door I hear Ishima... "ADITYA RAMAN KUMAR BHALLA... Don't you dare sit in the car before changing your shirt... you are stinking like a pig and I refuse to let you sit on the leather seats like this... and wipe all the sweat from your face... you know Ruhi hates it"... just as I take my shirt and walk towards the changing room Ishima moves forward and kisses me on the head... she is crazy... I mean I am too stinky and sweaty to sit in the car but not for her to hug and kiss me... the first time this happened I asked her the same... she said that a son is always perfect for his mom... and that is the reason we do this every day... I make sure that she sees me as I open the car door and she yells at me...

We drop Ruhi and Shravu at his place and are on the way home when Ishima get a call... from the look on her face I know that it is and emergency... so we both got to the clinic... I greet everyone by name as I make my way to the cosy corner in the waiting room... I open the rack next to the recliner to see my favourite comics and Harry Potter books... I always liked reading but my old friends thought that I was a nerd... so I hid it from them... but with Ishima I have found a book reading partner... we spend hours discussing books... I think Papa is a little jealous... he read the whole Harry Potter series so that he could be a part of our discussions... today I choose a comic and sit back to read...

An hour later, the peon gives me my favourite sandwich and milkshake... even while attending a patient she still takes care of me... I smile and thank him... as I munch my sandwich I hear someone take Ishima's name... Some ladies waiting for their appointment... they are discussing about the accident... why can't these people leave her alone... leave us alone... why do they have to worry about us... why don't they understand that we don't care about not being related by blood... that I am Her son and She is my mother... period... it does not matter how... why... when. I hate it when they do this... I am not able to control myself when they begin to pity her... I turn towards them and speak with utmost control... "Excuse me Aunty... Dr. Ishita Bhalla is my mother... and if you want proof... here I am... I am her son... she also has a daughter... Ruhi... Her children attest to the fact... her husband attests to the fact... so I think you should worry about yourself... not for my mother... because we love her enough to take care of her... and also to protect her..."

I turn back to see Ishima standing there... Damn... this is not good... oh she is not going to say anything to me right now... she is going to cry... then hug me... then cry some more... and then she is going to tell Papa everything... and going to be really happy for some time... till she gets back to her "Mommy Mode"... that means that I am going to get a lecture... and it is going to be really long and boring... I hope Papa reaches home early today... because all Ruhi does is nod her head when Ishima is in her lecture mode... only Papa can stop her... so I cross my fingers, bend my head... and mumble a "Sorry Ishima"...

It is three in the afternoon and my ears are still ringing from "The Lecture"... unfortunately Ishima was done with her work early... so I had to face her early... and I am such an idiot... I spoke rudely to her... she says that I should not react to what people say... the we understand each other... and that is what matters... but she doesn't get it... I get scared... what if someday the taunts become too much for her... what if she begins to believe them... I can't lose another mother... and so I lashed out... I told her that she would not understand... that she never thinks about how we feel... that a true mom would understand...

The moment I said those words I knew I had hurt her... the pain in her eyes... the way she agreed to what I said... the way she walked out... I am such an idiot... I run behind her to stop her... but Neelu Didi tells me that Ishima left for the clinic... that there was an emergency... I never wanted to hurt her... I did not even realize what I was saying... Ishima is right... I need to control my temper... I have to apologise to her... I cannot keep hurting her like this... what if she leaves?

It is 11 at night... Ishima is still at the clinic... she had called Ruhi to tell her about being late... apparently there was an emergency... whenever Ishima is late she speaks to both of us... reminding us about our homework, our timetable for the next day and reminding us to eat dinner...I was hoping that I could talk to her... Ruhi still did not know what had happened between Ishima and me... so as usual she passed the phone to me... before I could say anything she reminded me about tomorrow's guitar classes, my science Olympiad application form, asked me to have dinner and cut the call... I never got a chance to say anything... She is really upset with me...

I sit in my room with our family photo album when I hear a knock on the door... I look up to see Ishima there with a tray full of food... "Adi... You did not eat dinner... what happened??? It is your favourite... Butter Chicken, Malai Kofta and Boondi wala Raita... everything ok???"... She keeps the tray down when I turn her and hug her - "I am sorry Ishima... I did not mean what I said... I know I hurt you... you are my mom... my real mom... I am sorry Ishima..." I cannot look at her... she must be so hurt... she makes me sit and asks me to look at her... what I see there amazes me... all I see is love... all I see is the promise that she will always be there for me... where is the hurt I saw just a few hours ago??? Why is she not upset...? Romi Chachu always says that when things are fine you shouldn't question them... but I can't seem to stop myself... so I ask her... how she could be so normal after the way I behaved...

I see her chuckle as she wipes my tears... she tells me how just last week she told Paati that she hated her... that a real mom would understand her daughter and not support her son-in-law... she told me that is hurt when I spoke... but then she realized that I was being a typical child... just the way she was with her Amma... so she got over it... according to her I am just like Papa... that I first speak and then think... so she always takes what I say with a pinch of salt... she said she was glad that I could share my feelings with her... apparently moms get the "I Hate You... You can't be my mom" lines a lot... so she was ok now... she had already forgotten the whole thing...

She feeds me Malai Kofta and Roti... as usual the non-veg dish is in a separate bowl... I just take spoons of it after every bite... Ishima and I eat from the same plate... she regales me with stories of terrorizing trio... Ishima, Vandu Periamma and Mihika Chitti... my mom is a very cool person... she treats me like a friend... both of are laughing our heads off when I see papa standing at the door with a goofy smile... this is very common... Papa can be very loud and flashy at times... but then there are times when he just stands back and smiles in a funny way when Ruhi or I are with Ishima... let me tell you a secret... I too do it at times... just enjoy this wonderful gift that Matarani has given us... our Ishima...

I nudge Ishima and ask her to look behind her... she sees Papa and has the biggest smile on her face... I guess it is time for me to sleep... Papa and Ishima are slowly zoning out... Papa wishes good night and puts his hand forward for Ishima... Ishima also gets up to go... as I see them go I turn to settle in my bed... on the other side I see Ruhi sleep with a smile... when I had shifted back home... Ruhi always had these special moments with Ishima... just her and Ishima... I was jealous because everything I shared with Ishima was through Ruhi... but now... I have my moments with Ishima... Ruhi has her moments with Ishima... And then... We both have our moments with Ishima... Life is almost perfect...

As I close my eyes I hear Ishima's voice... "ADITYA RAMAN KUMAR BHALLA... Don't you dare sleep without brushing and flossing your teeth!"... Now life is perfect!!!