100 Ummakku Oru Mittayi

“Hari....Harrriiiiiiiiiiii.....Where r you?

Oh... Ammi wont let me sit idle

“Ammii... I am sleeping” I shouted

“Then where did this sound come from” She asked

“That is .... sometimes i talk while i am sleeping”

“OK if u r sleeping, then i will ask the ‘Mittayi wala’ to come later”

“ ‘Mittayi wala’....is he here?? Nooooo... Ammii.... I think i got up n on my way “

But there was no Mittayi wala when i reached there. Dissappointment, anger, frustration, tears....I came down to Ammi n began hitting her fiercely with my arms. Then i looked up. She was smiling. May be i should have realised then that i was three n a half years old.

I fillled my mouth with air and with both hands pressed my cheeks hard so that the air goes out with a sound. This means ‘ I wont talk to you again ‘. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. She lifted me , wiped my tears and then took out the transparent ‘ Mittayi box ‘. I could see those green, blue, red, yellow mittayis inside. My face went bright. I stretched both my hands out.

“No” She said

I looked at her.

“ you r not going to get this that easily. 100 ummakku oru mittayi [1 mittayi for 100 kisses]”

I didnt know then what 100 was. Still i started kissing her before she completed. I kissed, pressed my cheeks against her, bit on her nose. My tender teaths were beginning to hurt her. Even if she asked for a thousand or a lakh kisses i would have given. That much i loved those mittayis n my dear sweet Ammi.

“ Ammiiiiiiiiiiiii... Ammiye enikku othiri othiri ishta....” [ Ammi i love u very very much ]