“Mommy, I want an ice cream.”
“MOMMY, I want an ice cream.” – The kid’s pitch rose, enraged by his mother’s feigned disregardance of his wish.
“MOMMY, I WANT AN ICE CREAM.” – The pitch rose further, the kid on the verge of tears.
Further neglect by his mother met with a stomping fit and a wail, which drew the attention of the people seated at the nearby tables.
“God, this kid drives me nuts. Too pampered by his Dad.” A sigh escaped the mother’s lips as she told the woman seated beside her, “Excuse me, Sheena. I would better go get a coupon from the counter for ice cream, otherwise this little fella here will not let me rest in peace.”
“You know what, Sheena? I wish we could go back to our childless days. It was so peaceful.” The wistfulness was evident in her voice, as she counted out the exact change and headed towards the counter to join a long line of people waiting to place their orders.
“I understand,” Sheena replied with a smile, “Go ahead and get him a cone. I am waiting.”
The fact that her friend hadn’t exactly meant those words didn’t prevent tears from welling up in Sheena’s eyes and the smile from fading as soon as Lata’s back had turned. The tears just seemed to come on at any moment these days, as unpredictably as did the memories of her visit to the doctor’s a week before, in the course of which she had been referred to a certain infertility clinic near her place.
