A holiday trip to the sea. An excited toddler. Me busy with
preparations. Hubby worried about the long, long drive. Endless packing.
Clothes. Blankets. Sheets for the sand. Cushions for the drive. Toys and
buckets to build sand castles. Towels. Sunscreen. Hats. Music for the road. And
food. Lots of food. Fruits. Chips. Biscuits. Cereal. Juice. Water.
Loading the car. Takes five trips from the house. One
suitcase, two backpacks, two picnic baskets, lots of water bottles. And child’s
scooter. Leave an hour late. Everyone excited. Crossing the jungle on the way.
Saw wild elephants. Screams of joy and tiny eyes filled with wonder. She is unusually hungry. Constantly demanding
something to eat. I am happy. This is a rare demand. One question on repeat
mode – When will we reach there?. Stopped at a small motel for the night. She
drops off to sleep without her usual story book and songs. Tired.
On the road early next day. She is up early. Doesn’t want me
to drive. We snuggle in the back seat. Munching chips. All three of us wear sun
shade goggles. She competes with the music with her rhymes. We all sing along.
I get back to driving. Papa tells her funny stories at the back. Sounds of
endless giggles and questions. I smile. The drive doesn’t seem so long now.
Reach the hotel. We unpack the car. Change and go to the sea. Face filled with pure joy. Can’t keep her off the
water. She wants to go deep. I curse myself. Forgot to get her floats. She is
wet through. All towels and dry clothes are in the hotel. I curse myself again.
But her face is filled with amazement. She feels cold. Finally out of sea. But
into the sand. Busy building sand castles. Digging with spoons. Toys. Nails.
Sand everywhere. Eyes, ears, nose, hair. It is perfect. Sunset. Sand. Sea.
Waves crashing. Warm wind. She is happy. We are happy. Away from the busy
bustling days. We are here. Just here. But the moment ends soon. She doesn’t
want to go back to the hotel. Bawls till we promise her treats back at the
hotel.
Trip to famous church next day. She is cranky. Has stopped
eating. I am angry. Very few food options to feed her. I thank god for coconut water
and juices. Click lots of pictures. Crying and impatient toddler. Back to the
beach. This time with change of clothes and towels and hats. Screams of joy.
Jumping in the waves. Makes us smile. Her pure joy. Quickly we are through all
change of clothes and towels. I opt for parasailing. She bawls her eyes out. She
wants to come. Hugs me tight when I am back. Happy again. My eyes fill up. Her
love is without bounds. We all hold hands. A long quite walk along the water.
A trip to the local spice farm. She is irritated and
cranky. "Why are we not at the beach?". Hasn’t eaten anything whole day. So we are back at the beach. While she
plays, we feed her. It is better than the TV distraction back home at dinner
times. Papa figures out the secret. Sand and water. Her favorites. Can’t keep
her off them for long.
Time to go back. Me worried she would cry. But she doesn't.
Wants to go home. Misses the beach. But home is waiting. The drive back is as fun as the first one. We stop at the forest for an
elephant ride. Squeals of joy. This time she gets to touch the elephant. Watches
with wonder how much they eat. She promises to eat well. Falls asleep before we
reach home. A smile on her face. A smile on ours.
