"The lunchbox"

Hello folks and welcome back to another blog of mine!

I know it's been a long time since I wrote one. I am a moody writer, but I always come back and you all know it!

I was in my cousin's place, "I'm bored" I said. 

"You write well and it's been so long, write one, I'm pretty sure many are waiting to read" she replies. 

So while I'm sleepy, I'm penning another incident that happened in my life, that you might feel was cute.

This is my version of the "lunchbox", not the one that involves a lot of romance and cooking but the one that involves a lot of punishment and scolding.

It was probably the year of 2008, I was in 4th grade and like I've mentioned in one of my previous stories, I might have been a pretty naughty kid, and I presume that's natural for everyone. I'd judge you right now if you were an innocent kid when young. 

As usual, my mom packed my lunch, it was routine back then, which went on for 23 years of my life, who would eat out if you have yummy food at your home ?

I wake up, get dressed up by my parents, pick my lunch basket (the big plastic ones that came back then) hop on my dad's chethak, attend school, eat, play, and get back home. 

Eating was the best part ! Here comes more about it!

It was a basket containing the grand lunchbox, two towels, one on the floor and one on my thighs, a spoon or a fork, and a water bottle, there were 3 boxes in total, one is snacks, two or one for lunch, pretty grand right ?

Here's the fun part,

I lost the lunchbox

And I'd not received any instructions manual as to what must be done when this happens, the day went on normally, dad comes to pick me up, luckily he didn't notice that I'd lost one of my priced possessions, I just sat behind him and got back home.

Little did I know that I'll be briefed about my mom's anger over a lost lunchbox that day. It was such a nice basket, so many efforts went into bringing it on my desk every day, and all these facts were being made familiar to me for an hour that day.

After a few minutes of lecturing, the grave mistake was forgiven, with a warning, I take the walk of shame back into my house.

A deadline was provided for me to find the basket, but zero efforts were put buy me.

So I continued to attend school with another basket of the same grandeur that was magically constructed my mom, it was like all the mothers from school had a basket building competition.

Guess what?

I lost that too.

This time I'm petrified, because now I'm experienced in losing baskets, now I could foresee hell raining upon me. The rest of the day I've spent clueless wondering what must be done and how my mom would react?

In the evening, dad comes, no new bag in my hand neither the old one, I get the standard reply "Let your mom see" 

I hop on and reach home to see my mom waiting at the door expecting two baskets, but her son had let her down! 

file image 

Source : unknown

I was not allowed inside my house, I had to stand out the main door, near the gate as my punishment. People passing by just kept staring at me as I had my angry face on, just to seek attention from everyone and it worked. Few of them questioned me and few went in to ask my mom, my silence was constant though. My mom used to openly accuse me of loosing not only one but two precious lunch baskets.

I just sat on the compound facing the street without a morsel of regret. A few hours pass by and my mom walks upto me, she's my mom, she forgave my mistake and invited me for lunch, but I decided I'll not go in, stood there, without moving an inch.

She insists, I refuse, insist, refuse. That went on for a few minutes, an offer was made, "You have 3 days to find any one of the basket" she offered 

"Otherwise?" I question

"You'll spend few hours outside the house everyday after school" 

"Done!" I agree like I'm the Sherlock Holmes of Bengaluru, at that point I had just learnt to tie my shoelace. Look at the confidence I had in my counteroffer.

And my mom successfully got me into the house even though she knew that basket will not come home.

Next day my dad instructs the school's house keeping staff about the lost lunchboxes and that it must be given to me if found, I asked everyone for it too. 

After doing that for the entire day, while I waited for my dad to come pick me, I come across another staff that in hadn't asked, so I walked up to her and give her the details. 

She had it!

She'd carefully placed it in her store room, she gladly handed it over to me and even though I was the only kid in school, I was the happiest.

I galloped to my dad and he drove me home to my mom to whom I proudly presented the "trophy" lunchbox

"Where's the other one?" Was the reply!

Typical mom reaction!

Thanks to the housekeeping aunt who had washed my box, she didn't wait for the box to be found.