Rakhi In Lockdown

Thanks to corona cases increasing, Gauri was made to work longer shifts in the hospital. These long shifts meant Om was alone with their three kids for a bit more longer. Riaan was very easy to handle since he could handle himself pretty much but he did have his times when he chose the phone over online school. Radhika was in the middle of being an easy kid and being a difficult kid. There were a lot of times when she would do the work and there were other times when she would complain about her less favourite teacher Mrs Patel and other teachers as well as the work they were being given. Roshni....oh would you believe me if I said that the 6 year old little girl wanted to ban school forever if she became prime minister? 

Yeah you better believe me because Roshni said that to Om when they were doing her class work together. Her class work was about what you would do if you was prime minister. The first thing Roshni wrote was banning school. Also Roshni played hide and seek with Om every morning because she didn't want to do schoolwork.

Today Gauri was in the hospital and the kids had online school. Om  was also completing some sketches for his job. As he was busy sketching, he heard Roshni and Radhika groan. He looked up from his papers with concern written on his face.

Om: why the groans girls?

Radhika: rakhi is in two days and the store we normally get our rakhis from is closed.

Om: what?! Gifts for you is closed?

Roshni: till October! It so tragic. 

Om: lovely....

Riaan: this is great! If you guys don't tie rakhi on me then I don't have to give you girls gifts.

Radhika and Roshni gasped. The best part of rakhi for them was getting gifts off their one and only brother. Om rolled his eyes. Did his girls really only care about the gifts? 

Radhika: but the only good thing about rakhi is the gifts.

Roshni: yeah so you still giving us gifts.

Riaan: sorry girlies, no rakhi, no gift. 

Radhika and Roshni: but...

Om interrupting: kids, go back to your online school. Radhika, you are on that laptop for school not for online shopping...

Radhika: how did you...

Om: I am your father, I know you very well. Roshni, stop going on those dress up games...you are using that iPad for that maths game your teacher wanted you to go on.

Roshni: how did you know that?

Om: you're sitting right next to me and Riaan...I got nothing to say to you, just focus on your studies. Now I don't want to hear any arguments, only talk if you need help with school.

All three kids: okay dad/daddy. 

Once they said that, it was quiet. Very quiet. Ahh silence...something Om and Gauri as parents rarely got to experience. But in this silence, Om started thinking of rakhi...before the whole world went into lockdown; Gauri and Om made plans with Gauri's sister Anika and Om's brothers Shivay and Rudy to come visit them in Mumbai so that Gauri could tie rakhi to Shivru, Anika to Omru, Soumya to Shivom, Shivomru would tie rakhi to one another, Aniri would tie rakhi to each other and finally their kids could tie rakhi to their cousins. 

It was going to be a great trip because instead of staying three days in Mumbai with their family, they were going to stay a week in Mumbai. Om was excited to have some Shivomru time, Gauri was excited to go shopping with Anika and Somu, and the kids...they made so many plans with their cousins on FaceTime.