The Rules are Meant to be---

Hello,

How did you fill the blank after "Rules are meant to be? Broken --- Followed --- Left alone--- Follow the Crowd --- Do your own thing?

The following story is about the decisions we make.

I went out of town and could not reach a laptop or a PC, and in the process missed a post. My apologies.

Meera

The Rules are Meant to be---

Mom opened a closet in Sagar's room, and saw sixteen-year-old, Sagar's button-down shirt stuck in the corner of his closet. She knitted her eyebrows and said, "Hmmm---" and left the shirt alone as she went to the twins' room. 

All the children were playing a word game, twelve-year-old, Sapna, the acting a monitor for that game, kept an eye on the words used and the behavior of Suchi, Soori and Soham. Sagar read a book while playing the game. Sapna made sure he did not use any words from his book.

Mom said, "Hello everyone."

The twins said, "Mom, you want to join our game?"

Sapna repeated their question, "Yeah, Mom, do you want to play our game?"

Mom smiled and replied, "Not really, I just wanted to talk."

Suchi said, "Is this going to be a talk about the rules of the game that we should follow and do this and that?"

Soori said, "I bet that's what it is. Mom, we know all the rules and how to follow them."

Mom nodded, "I know each one of you is very smart and knows it all. I just wanted to tell you a couple of stories."

Four year old, Soham said, "I love stories."

"That's great. Come, sit by me and play with your Legos while I talk." 

Soham ran to his room and returned with Legos.

Mom said, "I read this morning that a chief minister in one of the Indian states, wished to observe how the government money was spent in that little town. He and his wife visited a little hut of a tribal couple."

"Tribal couple?"

"Yes, they are generally not very educated and are poor. The minister and his wife stayed with the tribal couple, ate dinner, talked and slept on the floor in that house."

"So?"

"Well, as a rule the government officials stay in a special guest-house which is modern and comfortable."

"They broke a rule?"

"Yes, the minister found out what was the was the progress in the town."

Sapna said, "So he broke the rule to do something good."

Mom nodded, "Another story is about this young teenage couple that went to a prom sixty years ago. They were thrown out of the dance because his hair was shoulder-length and the teachers said that the student was a troublemaker and not trustworthy, always breaking rules. The boy went home, cut his hair, dressed in a suit and went back to the prom, at the time, much against the girl's embarrassment. The girl further wrote that they have been happily married for forty-five years."

The eight-year-old, twins frowned, made a face and Soham kept playing Legos without being distracted by anything anyone.

"The next story is about a little girl in her preschool class. When she put a couple of fruits in a pan to 'cook' in the housekeeping area, the other children said, 'You don't cook fruits, it's wrong.' The teacher  said, 'Well, children, it's okay to cook fruits. There are many recipes that call for cooking fruits. On the same day, a little girl came and complained, 'Teacher, teacher, Tommy has been in the dress-up area since for so long and he's wearing dresses that only girls wear.' The teacher smiled, 'Well, is he bothering anyone?" 'No.' "Is Tommy happy?' 'Yes.' 'Then how about you read this lovely book to me, and let Tommy play in the housekeeping?'

Sagar said, "I get it, the children broke the traditional rules and ways but it was okay."

Mom said, "That's right and that brings me to your button-down-shirt thrown in the closet corner "

"What about it?"

"Did you like the shirt?"

Sapna said, "Mom, didn't you see, he looked so handsome, all prim and proper and very happy!"

"Well, Sagar, what stops you from wearing that shirt?"

Sagar said nothing. Two weeks later when Sagar went to a party, he wore his button-down shirt and a tie.

Sapna tried to whistle, "wsh..sh..wsh.."

Sagar smiled, Thanks." And went out the door.



The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

WHY---Here Come a Couple More...

Hello,

I am tempted to keep writing about words, but this is likely to be the last segment on words for a while, even though a couple of my blog readers have appreciated it. Thank you. 

Sagar and Sapna continue with their origin of more words.

Meera

 WHY---Here come a couple more--

Sixteen-year-old, Sagar returned from his party.

Sapana, his twelve-year-old sister said, "So Bhaiya, because of your buttondown shirt, were you in the 'limelight'?

Sagar frowned and threw his shirt on the bed, "Yeah, I was in the limelight. Along with a couple of other guys like me, but the rest of them came in jeans and a tshirt."

The eight-year-old twins walked in. 

Suchi said, "Did somebody say lime something?"

Soori said, "Don't deny it. we heard it, lime or lemon---lime juice? Lemon juice?"

Sapna said, "No girls, it's just a word for someone who's famous."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They can be famous for anything---for asking dumb questions."

Suchi said, "Didi, if you don't know the answer, just say so, no need to call us dumb."

Soori joined her twin, "That's right. We know dumb means not able to speak, and we can speak, talk, sing... all we wanted know was, why a limelight and why not a watermelon light?"

Sapna said, "Well, okay, I do know that. Now listen, a long time ago, they burned a cylinder of lime to produce a bright yellow light in lighthouses, to make it noticeable. People started using the word limelight for actors, to give them attention."

"Huh?"

"So there is no lime juice?"

"No, no juice. To be in limelight simply means to be the centre of attention."

"Big deal, limelight." Suchi made a face.

Sapna said, "You asked."

Sagar raised his voice a little, "Enough guys, you are all being silly."

Sapna said, "And so I pass the buck to you, Bhaiya." 

"Huh? Pass the buck?"

"Well, let him explain it now." Sapna smiled at Sagar and left the room.

Sagar said, "By all means. Girls, to pass the buck means give it to someone else."

"Give what?"

Sagar said, "I can see why she wanted to pass the buck, meaning she does not wish to deal with you and now you are my problem."

With a long face the twins asked, "Are we a problem, Bhaiya?"

"No, my dear little sisters, you are no problem. Listen, a long time ago, at card games, players passed an item called a buck from player to player to show whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not want to deal, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player."

"Huh?"

Sagar let out a long breath and said, "Passing the buck it to give the responsibility to someone else."

"Got it."

Sapna came in with four glasses of lemon juice, "Let's toast to that."

"We're eating a toast with our lemon juice?"

Sapna scrunched up her face, "Don't you guys ever get anything without an explanation?"

Sagar laughed and clinked his glass of lemon juice gently with the twins' glasses and said, "We toast, we celebrate your understanding of the English language by clinking our glasses."

"The glasses will break."

"Do it gently, Now, a long time ago, in earlier times someone might have wished to poison an enemy to  kill him. To make sure the drink was safe, the guest would pour a small amount of drink into the glass of the host and both men would drink it together. When a guest trusted his host, he clinked his own glass with the host's glass."

One twin said, "Too many words, Bhaiya, we drank up our lemonade."

The other twin said, "Without eating any toast."

They both left for their own room.

"Sagar plopped down on his bed, "At last the why's and what's have left."

Sapna said, "I can see, you are on cloud nine."

Sagar said, "Eeee....nough, no more words."

Sapna said, "The very last one, I have to tell you, I learned that clouds are numbered according to their altitude, cloud nine being the highest. So when you are on cloud nine, you are above all the worries in the world." 

Sagar said, "That I am."

"Good for you, Bhaiya." Sapna also left the room.



The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

One Special Day

Hello,

I have a post ready to roll with words-fun, but a special day comes first.

All the moms are walking on cloud nine these days. Why? They are looking forward to Mother's Day! Perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. Maybe a beautifully made card by a child's loving hands. Some may get a gift card towards a makeover, a spa or something, just for them, they don't have to share! Let's not forget a special home made meal or eating out! Maybe a piece of pretty jewelry. (I know, there are Dads who take care of children and cook meals way better than the some Moms, but we're talking about Mother's Day, so, let's not digress.)

Happy Mother's Day!

Meera

One Special Day for Mom

The six-year-old twins, Suchi and Soori ran to their ten-year-old sister, Sapna's room. 

Suchi said, "Didi, I want you to help me fix my picture for Mother's Day. See how my hands are giving the flowers to Mom? I drew the colorful flowers but can't draw the hands."

Sapna took the drawing, "Hmmm...lets' see. I see what you mean."

Soori said, "I drew the whole picture myself but I can't draw my eyes and my nose in the picture. My eyes look crossed and the nose is crooked."

Suchi said, "That's because you are cross-eyed and your nose is not straight. You draw what you see."

Soori said, "Stop trying to make me mad! If my eyes are crossed and my nose is crooked then yours are too. We are identical twins. So Ha!"

Sapna gave the picture back to Suchi after fixing it, "Twins, stop the argument. You are both fine and equally annoying." She returned Soori's picture after fixing it.

Suchi gave her a hug, "Didi, annoying or not, you still..."

Soori completed the sentence while hugging Sapna, "Love us."

Fourteen-year-old Sagar, their older brother came to the room, "Hey, what's with this hug-a-thon ?" He continued, "Don't tell me. Your Didi helped you with something."

The twins showed him the pictures.

He said, "Nice, Mom will love these pictures."

Suchi said, "Didi, what are you giving Mom for Mother's day?"

Soori asked, "And Bhaiya, what are you giving?"

Sapna said, "Something special."

Sagar said, "We're thinking of giving her something for the whole year."

Sapna sair, "Do you understand a year? It's all twelve months, from this May until April next year."

Suchi said, "The year starts in January."

Sapna said, "Right, then all the months from January to December."

Sagar said, "I am giving her a certificate that says, 'I will vacuum the whole house once week for the whole year'."

Sapna said, "And I am giving her certificate that says, 'I'll do the dishes and empty the dishwasher for the whole year'."

Soori said, "Then what will she do? What will Dad do?"

Suchi said, "They can hire someone to do the cleaning."

Soori said, "How will she get her exercise if she does not vacuum or do the dishes?"

Sapna said, "They can go for a walk together after dinner or join a health club."

Suchi said, "That's a great idea, giving Mom a gift for the whole year, not just for a day."

Soori said, "Can we also help and put our names on your certificates?"

Sapna and Sagar exchanged glances.

Sagar said, "Sure kiddos, you can do that or you can give her your own certificates."

Suchi said, "You are doing all the work."

Soori said, "There is nothing left for us to do."

Sapna said, "Sure there is. You can always put away your toys, books and clothes before you go to sleep."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

Sagar said, "What do you say?"

The twins paused for a couple of seconds, Soori said, "Okay, help us make the certificate..."

Suchi said, "That says we'll clean up our toys, books and clothes, after we're done, for one whole year!"

Sagar said, "She's going to say, this is the best Mother's Day gift ever."

Sapna added, "From all of us!"

The twins smiled as they made a circle with their siblings by holding hands.


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah