An account of our recent travels, in no particular order.
Day 5
Back to London
The day we came back to London, we were locked out because it
was the middle of the week and unlike us, some people had work! While Jeet
jogged off to get the key from our host at work; Mia and I settled down to wait
in the picturesque park just around the corner from their house in Chelsea.
At least I thought we would settle down in the park, a heartwarming tableau of a mother smiling serenely down at a peaceful, cooing baby
in her stroller, surrounded by the flowers and sylvan green of the park. Aah, passers-by
would think; how sacred and good the bond of mother and child! How peaceful it
would be to just sit and watch them awhile...
What transpires is
always vastly different from the ideal. Mia set up a clamour that she wanted out of the
stroller right then -- she had some sarcastic pigeons who needed to be taught a
lesson. After some hurried negotiations, we agreed that she could chase them
but only until the gravel path after which she would turn back. Sadly one and a
half year olds are notoriously untrustworthy, and broke her word (“Baudeyee”)
immediately.
The next 45 minutes was a regrettable loop of her running
too far afield, and me, torn between our luggage near the entrance and my
pigeon-chasing offspring, trying to catch up with her while keeping my eye on
our suitcases. I wonder if onlookers who hadn’t noticed the bags thought it curious
that I ran while I looked over my shoulder. If they did they made no comment, thinking
it to be a sensitive issue. The moment I would catch up to Mia, and carry her
back to the stroller she would let out a yell much like a factory siren
announcing the call to work. Shattering the calm of the wet, weekday afternoon
and shocking the other babes and mothers who, much to my envy, sat tranquilly
feeding the birds or just concentrating on looking angelic. I could almost
sense the other babies chortling about us behind their dimpled fists, (“Savages!”)
as I trudged back with a yodelling Mia under my arm. However the moment she was
back in the seat the pigeons would strut by her stroller in a most patronising
manner; which would begin the whole cycle again. So I gave her, for the first
time in her life, quite a LOT of chocolate and pigeons ceased to have the same
power over her.
“ Cochleat” was the word of the week.
Jeet came back in 45 minutes; and everyone in that park drew
a sigh of relief.
2 comments:
Loved all the recent posts on your vacation.
Isn't it such an irony that all kids except our own enjoy sitting around and feeding birds. I have never had a peaceful moment in a park. I am always scared one or the other will fall into the pond and get eaten by the fish.
Haha, Srimoyee! :)
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