n517374100_167403_7193.jpg Guess what????? Rajiv,Preety and Little Rhea actually came home to Shillong for four days….after my Bombay trip :-P !!This trip was certainly not on their schedule due to shortage of time……..so when they called and told us that they would be coming home just for four days…..I could have squealed with delight !!! My husband,needless to say,was overjoyed…( earlier, when he had seen the photos I had brought back with me…..he had become very emotional ….and I caught him wiping away his tears …..and I thought that only women were emotional fools ;-) ))

Well, we got going…..getting the children’s room ready…..sunning the mattresses /quilts/blankets, putting up fresh curtains……cleaning ,scrubbing and polishing the floors till we could see our reflection in them .Stocking the fridge with veggies and fruits….. there was excitement and heavy activity all around !!!

Finally, the BIG day dawned………our children arrived home after a looong journey (12 hours to get to Shillong from Bombay :-( ) Even as I heard the car …my heart beat rapidly with excitement ….my babies were home !!

The four days that followed were magical….. Rhea ,our Little Doll was the centre of attraction for each one of us….including Mekha….the girl who works full time with me. The little angel enjoyed all the attention she got…..we hovered around her ,petted her, fed her, cootchie cooed her ,blabbered all the time in that nonsensical baby language…..did funny actions …… in fact…we came down to her age level ….haha….what a sight we must have looked ;-) But who cared…..this time was precious…..and we did not want to waste a single moment of it !

The “spick and span” house looked like it was hit by a hurricane……there were baby clothes strewn all over….. bottle feeders, spoons, wipes, creams ,medicines ,wash cloths,baby blankets and little shoes occupied prominent positions in the sitting room…………it was such a welcome mess ….the house had become “home” :-P n517374100_169364_3253.jpg

I told Rajiv and Preety that I was keeping a pair of Rhea’s socks….so that I could “smell her” every day …………. they looked at me as though I had gone off my rocker !!!! Well, grandmas will be grandmas ;-)

n517374100_167536_592.jpgRhea…..she is the friendliest child I have ever seen……..she smiles ALL the time …..never fusses when strangers carry her …… is very ,very curious ….. and she loves to explore !! Her eyes are very expressive and she has long and thick eyelashes :-P She is beautiful :-

n517374100_169441_117.jpg We celebrated Diwali before they left for Bombay…..Rhea was very taken up by the sparklers……Grandpa (daadu) and grandaughter lit the sparklers and were thrilled!!!

The four days flew past like a dream . The day of the departure came and I sensed that familiar hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach …which I have experienced ever so often when saying goodbye to the children…..this time it was worse because Rhea ,too,was involved :-( Even as I held them close I felt the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes ….. and only one thought crossed my mind…”why couldn’t we all stay together as one happy family?”

I went to school after bidding them goodbye ….but throughout the day I felt lonely and empty inside….as if someone had wrenched my heart away from me .I prayed to God to look after them and to keep them happy always.I guess life has to move on….and we have to thank God for all that He has given us….and ,believe me, He has given us plenty …..thank you God!!n517374100_169453_35071.jpg