The whole of April we were in Kerala at my parents' house. I really don't know how time passed but before I realised, here we are, back in Bangalore. This time in Kerala, though, I saw a bond, a very special bond, between two little boys who stole my heart even before they were born. My sister (cousin, in fact but we've lived together all our life until marriage, that it feels weird to see her as a cousin) came down around last week of April with her little boy and that's when I experienced all those heart-melting moments. The two boys share an age difference of almost two years and I can see a very special bond forming between them!
These two have grown up seeing each other quite frequently. But now, when one is 2 and the other 4, they are at that age where they are full of energy and so much active. And this time, I could see them forming a team, holding hands and exploring the forbidden places together, chattering all the time and playing games they invented. They just wanted to be together all the time, from morning till night. Our house was filled with giggles and of course, cries too. They poked, pushed, shoved, kicked, and hugged each other. Oh, it was just so endearing to see how they loved each other. In fact, even while we slept, my little boy called out for Anamay (my nephew) in his sleep many a times. And the smile he has when he wakes up to see Anamay eagerly waiting for him to be awake? Priceless! I've never seen him give such a hearty smile like that one any other time. Not even to me!
Watching these two boys, I remembered my growing up days with my sister. We were not the best of friends as kids, but we have a lot of memorable moments together. We just had an age difference of one year and we did almost everything together. We lived in a joint family until I was around 13 and then we shifted to our present home, a twin house where it was almost like living together but with the privacy and freedom any family would want. For us, kids, along with this came the option of two menus during food time. There have been several days when I've had breakfast/lunch two times because the breakfast at her place looked more appealing or I just wanted to sit, chat and have a meal with her. We fought terribly, bitched about each other and sometimes, even hated each other but if an outside person came between us, it was us against them.
We grew up playing all day long, sharing toys that we really didn't want to share and exchanging clothes. We were partners in crime most of the time and I can see the same trait in our boys. In fact, this time, I could see them doing all the similar stuffs that we did as kids and I couldn't help, but think of the long gone days and smile, seeing us through them. Now, just like us, the boys too seem to be taking two meals at a time just because Anamay wants to have dosa with "Adhrithu" or Adhrith wants to have pudding because Anamay is having it. The afternoon naps are long forgotten, if not for the elders separating them apart after lot of drama. We are totally ignored and many a times we've been explicitly told by them to mind our own business!
This photo brought back memories of a time long back, when we were a little bigger than they are now - the time when we played in Chittappan's (Dad's brother) bike, doing imaginary rides and fighting to drive. In fact, once, the bike fell down and we were terrified of the scoldings we were sure to get. Chittappan was not home that time and that was the only day we slept in the afternoon without being told to and we did sleep for a long time to let the storm pass. Thankfully, everyone found it funny and we were spared. Boy, how scared we were! :D
We are no more kids. But now, with these two boys in our lives, we are reliving every moment of those days when we were kids. Last two weeks were pure joy in terms of watching them play and bonding with each other. Through them, I revisited my childhood, watched myself as a kid and that was the best experience ever. I truly hope there is going to be more of this in the years to come. And it makes me whisper a silent prayer, to be grateful for what I have and help me hold it close to my heart. Always!
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