28th January, 2005

Was my last working day before i went on maternity leave.

Achachan and Achamma had come down to take me to your dad's place. You weren't due for another month and half and i wanted to spend time with both sides of family before you came into our lives. We were to go to your dad's place and stay for two weeks, and all of them wanted to come and drop me at your ammamma's house on Feb 15th. I would spend the next month with them, waiting for you to arrive, soaking up the affection of loved one's, being indulged.

The past few months had been a whirlwind of activities and bought along with it some very unwanted events in our life, and work had been killing. I so needed that break.

Since your dad was far away, mama met up with you achachan and achamma at the hotel they had stayed. The dear friends mama had been staying with insisted on having me dropped, but it was a workday and i would not have them take time off. So off i went in a cab, with my bags in tow.

Achachan and Achamma were so happy to see us. We left and went to the station from where we were to take a train.

By some strange hand of fate, we were booked in a train that none of us had ever travelled in, and it started from a very obscure station. Achachan spent quite some time locating the platform and then figured out that it was going to take a while for the train to arrive , and that there was no place to sit down in the platform.

When the train finally arrived, we could not figure out which was our coach. So achachan left the very pregnant me and the poor soul achamma who could otherwise not walk very comfortably seated and went in search of the right coach. By the time it was figured out and we were settled, achachan was exhausted.

We sat and talked and talked and i told achamma what all i wanted to eat, what all i wanted to do when i was there, and settled for the night.

I closed my eyes, shifted in discomfort in the berth, and dreamt about the days i would do nothing but anticipate your arrival.