A DHOKLA CAKE- A Lockdown Birthday
It was a fine Sunday morning. Eva woke up with a blissful smile. The sunrays were shining brightly. She heard a long beep. Her eyes turned to the mobile. Ahhh!! A reminder! It is mom’s 65th birthday today. She picked up her phone and scrolled for her mom’s name ..Ah here it is..let’s make a video call, There goes the long bell…”pick up Ma”!!
“Hello Beta” a soft sweet tone was waving to Eva.
“Mommy, you are a fairy! Happy Birthday my Angel mom!” Eva shouted
Her mom just laughed. Her laughter was like the tinkling of bells. Her family was sitting besides her. She got a bit teary-eyed. She was missing them all. “Hi Bro! What’s up?” Eva waved her hands and gave a flying kiss to her niece Pihu and sister-in-law, Shagun.
“All is well Di” Shagun said .
“It is lockdown! Otherwise, we would have béen with you this time of the year. Hope things will get normal soon” Rahul said.
The call get disconnected abruptly. Eva checked her internet “Oh!! Its so slow!” She said to herself. She walked into the kitchen to brew a strong filter coffee and searched something to munch. She was hungry. “Oh! Mom you used to look after us so much. I still miss you”, she thought.
Many thoughts wrapped around her mind. With her dad passing away, her life has been stolen in a heartbeat. Mom had managed everything. She sacrificed every happiness for us. This time after eighteen years her whole family planned to visit her for the first time after her marriage. She was having blues.
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Meanwhile, with a cup of hot tea, Shagun was watching the neem tree where a cuckoo was merrily singing.
“Shagun” a sound from side flat startled her. “Hello Rekha Auntie!”
“Hello Beta! How are you planning to celebrate my bestie’s birthday?”
“Nothing, Auntie. This darned Lockdown! I can’t even invite you to the house to wish Mumma in person”. Shagun replied pensively.
“Oh! Never mind! We will wish her from the balcony only! See my grand daughter has made this card! And she is ready with her guitar to sing her Happy Birthday!” Rekha Auntie’s words cheered up Shagun.
She beamed broadly and said, “Thanks a ton, Auntie! Lemme keep this as a big surprise for Mumma!”
Tringgg..
“Hello Pihu!! What’s up? How is everything? Have you planned anything special.” Eva said. It was her neice.
“Nup!! Bua. Please give me a recipe to bake a cup cake for Dadi. Due to the lockdown, we are at home.”
Pihu was very upset today. It was her grandma’s birthday but due to the lockdown, they were helpless.
“All are busy bua. Everyday we are doing all the household chores..so nothing planned till now.” Pihu said.
Eva remembered she had some pending work too. So she consoled her neice and kept the phone back. While doing her left over work she thought how can she make her mom happy on her birthday.It was a crappy day, she opened one online site and booked an online cookery classes for her mom as a gift.
“I know she will love this” she murmured.
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Tring…tring.. It’s again a video call Eva ran to pick up the phone, which was lying on sofa.
Eva scrolled to the green button. It was dark that side..
“What’s up?”, She was a bit confused.
She saw something moving. As the light switched on…all started singing the special birthday song for her mom. The room was like a fairy house, with twinkling lights, bright streamers and balloons. “Oh My!! Mom!!” Eva shouted from this end.
She was so happy and for a minute she could not speak. Her mother was there with a rainbow smile.
Mom was wearing a new dress.A green gown her favourite colour indeed. Shagun had bought for her before the lockdown. Pihu had made some caps with shimmering papers that had pictures of a heart on it. Shagun had made delicious Dhokla in form of a cake.. ..”DHOKLA ” room was filled with laughter.
“Mom, you are not allowed sweets as the doctor has said. So I made a dhokla for you! Its our healthy cake” she laughed and winked.
“Let’s cut it mom come on”! Rahul said
Eva was in tears, it was Shagun and Pihu who had made it special for her mom”The Lockdown Special Birthday.”
Rekha Auntie and her grand-daughter were singing loudly with the guitar from the balcony!
“Ma! Happy Birthday”…Eva gave a virtual hug to all of them.
Her mother hugged all of them. “It is the best birthday party I have ever had,” she said.
Outside in the courtyard, the neem tree swayed gently in the wind.Toffu, the pup, looked up, his ears cocked . Clearly, something special was happening at the house!
