The Binding String

T H I R T Y - T W O

NEXT DAY
EVENING

Ishita sat at threshold of the balcony taking the bundle of fresh A4 size pages and the books prescribed for second year of undergraduation and started to prepare the teaching notes for upcoming week, being a mentor is a hard job in itself. The learning process never ends and you kept learning and teaching new things through entire life. The role of a teacher is not new for her but yes lately she realised dealing with small kids indeed hard, you cannot scold them or debarred them from class, the class notes and pointers aren't enough for them to learn and understand new things, the creativity and the patience is the only way to make them learn new things and Ishita Bhalla had lack of both the things. She kept her palms either side of her face and rested her elbows on her thighs curiously looking at her daughter who was sitting near through plants taking her Mintu and two dolls along, playing something imaginative and than giggling silently. It's just a day when they arranged new balcony garden and it appeared like Roohi loved it already, she spend her most of the day siting in balcony, adoring the colorful flowers and playing with her Mintu and two dolls gifted by her Mihika chitti and Simmi Bua whom she fondly named as Liza and Flora.

She really like few things about Roohi and one of those is her calm nature. The girl never trouble or bother anyone to spend time with her,  she knows to find her happiness in small things and maybe materialistic things does not matters for her. Roohi didn't even asked for the iPad back she snatched in anger when the girl chopped off the answer sheets one fine evening. She is not even four but she is very much sensible according to her age, and it was something Ishita loved about her most. She was working on her teaching notes from some last one hour but not for once Roohi created fuzz to play with her or to do something else. Roohi is indeed a bundle of joy with calmness and innocence. Maybe with Roohi she would start to see and analyse world in a pure manner. Ishita closed her books and went near Roohi who was silently playing with her toys and few pots embedded with colourful flowers.

"Roohi what are you doing?" Ishita softly asked caressing her hairs.

"I'm introducing Liza and Flora with new flowers." Roohi exclaimed with delight and her mother laughed listening her. She wrapped her hands around her small waist making her sit on her lap and continued, "Roohi you're playing with these flowers but do you know you have to take their care. Like you have to give them food." Ishita spoke in serious voice adoring the plants moving along the direction of wind.

"Will they eat Roti?" Roohi asked in confusion looking at her favourite plants.

"No dear you have to water them daily." It was Raman's voice who came searching mother daughter duo and smiled finding them in balcony. He removed his slippers and sat beside Ishita and Roohi who were passing welcoming smile to him.

"Would water be enough Papa?" Roohi asked critically eyeing towards her favourite flowers.

"Yes. Plants need water to stay alive." Raman replied with a smile.

"Oh!!! That's why uncle water them daily." Roohi exclaimed and passed a toothy smile to her parents.
Raman Ishita smiled in response nodding their heads in affirmation and remained seated taking Roohi on their laps. "But Papa from where would they eat food? Do they have mouths?" Roohi shot next question in enthusiastic tone, moving her hands in air to emphasis on her question.

"No dear they make their own foods with the help of leaves." Ishita replied touching one of the leave, "with the help of sunlight they receive from sun and water given by us they makes their own food." Ishita wasn't sure if her little girl understood anything but after few seconds when she smiled and twinkled her eyes her parents took breath of relief. "Accha Roohi can you bring that cane for Papa?" Raman pointed towards at watering cane placed at the end of the balcony. Roohi obliged her Papa and bring cane for him.