Little Pleasures

Mini woke up to a perfect winter morning. It was half past six and the view of the sunrise through her bedroom window was mesmerising. Birds sang the sweet morning song. The dew drops on the grass blades and petals of poppies in full bloom were heart-warming – how many people have the time and inclination to enjoy the free yet priceless pleasures that nature abounds? 

What made the morning even more perfect was that it was a Sunday; Mini’s favourite day of the week. It was a day when she relaxed, lazed and most importantly got some time to herself. As a rule, her husband and daughter went on their Sunday morning adventure! The usual destinations were the beach, the swimming pool, the scenic spot by the creek, or the fun zone at the mall nearby; all too familiar to Mini as she had been on those excursions with them numerous times. Ever since she got busy with her official job, her husband and daughter would ask her to join only if they found a new place. That day Mini hoped the twosome would explore one of their usual venues because she needed to recoup after the crazy week that had gone by. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged along.

It had been their little angel’s fifth birthday. As luck would have it, the doting father was out the whole week on a business trip, but had managed to reach just in time for the evening party. So Mini had to do everything by herself; selection of the venue, return gifts, music, cake, invites, decor, theme, entertainment and what not, to cater for two hundred odd guests.

In order to make the arrangements Mini had applied for five days’ privileged leave which was not sanctioned. So, she had to do three continuous night shifts to get the day free to do the ever demanding chores. She felt like a zombie by the end of it, but somehow managed to put up a good show. Everyone had enjoyed and the party was memorable. Soon, all the guests had left and they were back to just three in their palatial house…

Mini packed water, juice, a bottle of chocolate milk, chips, croissants, muffins and sandwiches, mostly left over from the previous night. Father and daughter dressed in red T-shirt and blue denims, and sporting their rugged jungle hats, set off for yet another fun-filled week-end in their jeep. Mini heaved a long sigh of relief.

She went into the kitchen with ‘Captain’, their black Labrador, at her heels. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was tantalizing. She quickly made herself a large mug, warmed up a chocolate-hazelnut donut, picked up her book and settled in her hammock .The garden was in full bloom, with marigolds, bluebells, pansies, gladioli and many other flowering plants swaying with their prized possessions, as if they were competing in a fashion show. The well manicured green hedge, the fish pond, the fountain and the fine carpet grass added to the garden’s charm. Soon Mini got immersed in her book, though, through the corner of her eyes she did not fail to notice the occasional fluttering of the butterflies and the sound of the fish splashing in the pond gave her the situational awareness despite the mystery of a cold blooded murder of a well known actress taking her to the distant cliffs of imagination. As the story became more and more intriguing, Mini allowed herself to drift with the developments of the thrilling suspense. Before long she had finished the book and dozed off in the gentle winter breeze. She didn’t realize how long she had slept, but was woken up by the loud noise from somewhere near the kitchen which almost made her fall off the hammock. She rushed towards the kitchen door in the backyard only to find ‘Captain’ chasing the neighbour’s cat. ‘Snowy’ as she was known, was no stranger to Mini’s house. But the large, long sturdy Birman, with long silky hair, had never learnt that Captain, usually playful, can be ferocious at times.

The gripping murder mystery, the deep slumber that followed and the rude awakening had made Mini lose track of time. It was 4 hours since her husband and daughter had left. Usually they returned in a couple of hours. Mini rushed to the dining table where she had forgotten her mobile. She knew there would be hundred calls from her husband which she failed to answer. To her surprise, there was none. She quickly dialled his number and a familiar voice replied “The number you’ve dialled is not reachable”. Mini was in bit of a panic. She began to reason where the duo could possibly be. Not the pool as it was closed for winter. The beach, she had heard them say, ‘No’. The Fun Zone was shut for maintenance. So the only possibility was the Creek. 

She decided to drive to the creek. Mini grabbed the car keys, her wallet and jacket and drove off, repeatedly calling her husband in vain. The drive seemed endless. To make things worse, it began to rain suddenly, out of the blue!  Most unwelcome at that point of time. As she approached their standard parking place she spotted a few cars. That was an unpleasant surprise as she had hardly seen a soul during her previous trips to the site. It was a small clearing beside a road from where a two minute walk down hill would reach her to the creek. Mini’s fears went soaring. She opened the door even before the car came to a complete halt and ran towards the creek. The rain had reduced to a drizzle which she could barely feel. Then she heard a garbled noise turning into what appeared to be a commotion. Mini’s heart missed a beat. A shiver ran down her spine. She imagined the worst. She was scared.

 As soon as she reached the spot she heard a loud scream. It was her daughter’s voice. She grew all the more apprehensive as she couldn't see any one. Slowly she walked towards the tree they used to sit under. A large scroll on the tree branch unfolded before her. On it was a message, a message for Mini, ‘Worlds Best Mommy, Thank you’. Below it was a bouquet of a thousand red roses with a card that read ‘Proud to have you as my wife honey’.

Out came her angel who gave Mini a tight hug. Then her beaming husband surfaced, followed by the family’s close friends and relatives, from behind the trees and bushes in the vicinity. They were all there to appreciate Mini’s efforts that had made the previous night’s party one of its kind. A simple gesture, but a priceless one for Mini…

Since then, many Sundays had gone by. Mini’s daughter got married and she had had a 5 year old ‘angel’ of her own, who too followed the week-end regimen with her dad.

Mini cherished that day, that unique Sunday. She had been lucky to have such a wonderful family and friends. Now as she lay on a hospital bed, old and frail, fighting the dreaded cancer, she knew nothing could snatch from her the sweet memories of the past that ushered her in to the future. She knew more pleasant surprises would come her way. She would live the remaining days of her life with hopes of surprises, akin to the one she got on that eventful Sunday.