my clone - a grown-up practical joker

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"pappa giant, baby miniature"

this was the oft repeated sentence which my dottie had concocted and would greet me with this off and on, bringing on the urge to squash the little one in a bear hug and smother her with my love...

since many people wanted to see the earlier photographs of my grinning terrorist...i came across this one which was taken with a first generation digital camera i had procured from the then indian e-bay called baazee.c**...

now, as usual, a vivid memory is attached to this picture … i hope my dottie’s stories are not a drag for you talented bloggers...but i need to share this episode, among many many more...

the date: 28th Dec 2003...
the age: 8 years 28days...
stage: rajdhani express heading for new delhi...

dense fog had delayed the train interminently...expected to reach 6-7 hours late, if luck held out. Opening the door and peeking out i saw an opaque white wall few feet away from the train as it crawled at a painfully slow speed. One could have walked and overtaken it :D. Looking left i could see the engine, few bogies (coaches) ahead, cutting through the fog, dissipating it … looked like the titanic slicing through an iceberg, to let it sail through...

the attendants served some dry snacks, oranges, cold drinks and tea to the hungry passengers...mind you, this was an auxiliary meal, cobbled together due to the unprecedented delay...

i had hauled my dottie on the side upper berth, alongwith two other girls she had made friends with...none of them were complaining the extra time spent on the train, while the adults groaned and complained incessantly at the delay...

the three began peeling their oranges, chattering away to glory, reminiscent of a kitty party group indulging in serious gossip :D:D:D ... while i was engrossed in philosophical debates with the other two girl's parents...

now a little background to warn you all...my kid is extra intelligent...somewhat like me :D:D:D...and apart from being a carbon copy of what i looked like as a child her age...she also possesses ((( ufff how many s's here ))) a wicked sense of humour, a - la - shaitaan >;) ...

suddenly, she calls out to me and says: "pappa!!! come here one minute, see i think this orange is spoilt."

i look up and say "huh!" :O:O ... "what?"

i see that only the empty peel is lying by her crossed legs on the berth, all orange meat consumed...i get up go to them, grumbling "baby!!! you are saying it's spoilt after you ate the whole thing?"

she points her finger at the well-peeled peel, i see the whitish inside of the peel is sparkled with black dots all over :O:O ....ewww!!!...

since i never had to scold her ever till that date...i simply admonish her in a low tone that, when she saw the pock-marked inside of the orange peel she should have either called me before eating the orange or at least herself realised the orange was spoilt and not eaten it...

she pouts and preens, saying "sorry pappa." and "what to do, i didn't see..." and making other conciliatory noises...

i called the attendant over, while my child watches me straight-faced as i scolded the man for serving a spoilt fruit to us...

the 5 minutes which elapsed from the time she called me to review the orange peel, till the profusely apologetic attendant squirming at my irritation, this girl goes through the motions holding the right expressions and actions...

as the attendant apologised to her too saying "babba, i bring more for you, i am so so sorry..."

she burst out laffing and rolling on the berth with mirth, resembling the rolling on the floor emoticon on our Yahoo Messengers, as do her two friends...

i am wide-eyed, the attendant confused and the other co-passengers, now gathered around due to the commotion i created, are puzzled...

"i played the foooool...hi hi hi..." she goes...

i go "huh!!!" "what?" ... grrrrr :D:D

she picks up a torn tea bag, demonstrating how she sprinkled a little of it's contents on the inside of the peel...

OMD..OMD..OMD...i burst out laughing, as do all the other onlookers...the attendant, looking relieved, retreated quietly to bring a tray full of chocolate éclairs for the girls as a reward...

OMFD...i was in tears laughing as i mock spanked and rough & tumbled my giggling practical joker...one played so well, it could put an adult to shame at both conjouring such a spontaneous idea and executing it to perfection...


>:) ... >:) ... >:)

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