The Rendezvous

Chintamani leapt about her room in gay abandon , a spring in her step and joy in her heart . That pretty much summed up her state of mind on days that she would get to meet her best pals Nagaveni and Ratnaprabha.

The three of them had been inseparable pals from the time they were wee one year olds. Everybody who knew them also knew that they were as different as chalk, cheese and cherries! Chintamani was a drama queen . Loud and flamboyant were adjectives that were often used to describe her . They say good things come in small packages and Chintamani believed that she was the best gift that the creator had endowed upon humanity . As for her parents, well, they couldn't agree more! That probably explained why she possessed the best clothes , accessories and toys, among the three of them . But Chintamani was not a snob! It did not matter to her that some people perceived Ratnaprabha as the ugly one . Maybe that is why Ratnaprabha’s mom took her to the spa ever so often .Alas, nature’s creation is not subject to alteration or customisation. You can only nurture it to the best of your ability! 

Talking of ability , Nagaveni possessed a serious demeanour ; one that was a testament to her razor sharp observation skills and immense intelligence . But hey , Nagaveni was not the only smart one out there . Chintamani was fashionably quick -witted and courageous  . To hell with stereotypes and people who indulged in them! Just because she looked a certain way , it didn't mean she was any less smart! Size did not matter when it came to packing punches , for she surely packed an impactful one!

Chintamani’s keen gaze landed on the empty perfume bottle that her mother had carelessly left on the bed . She smelled it . It smelt of lemons , sunshine and joy that lit her eyes ! Soon, she would wear the pink rubber bands that she absolutely adored and her favourite pink t-shirt with the word ‘b***h’ written in fluorescent green . She loved to wear her identity up her sleeve, unapologetically . She only had one thing to say to those who had an issue with her outfit and that was an emphatic..

‘Chintamani’, yelled little Shreya, ‘Did you chew the ear of my pink teddy bear?!’

‘Wooooof’, barked Chintamani in an unapologetic tone!

Comments

  1. Latha PrakashFebruary 12, 2024 at 9:59 PM

    This is a cute heartwarming story beautifully presented

    ReplyDelete
  2. VarshaFebruary 12, 2024 at 10:03 PM

    I love how this story came to life 😂 Great work Aditi! 😍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aditi SowmyanarayanFebruary 12, 2024 at 10:21 PM

      Thank you Varsha madam . I really enjoyed writing this

      Delete
  3. Deepa V RamanFebruary 12, 2024 at 10:23 PM

    What a delightful story! And I loved the twist in the end! Superb, very well-written!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AKILA VAIDYANATHANFebruary 13, 2024 at 5:38 AM

    Awesome Aditi 😍You have such a lovely way of writing and the twist at the end was delightful 🙂

    ReplyDelete
  5. Poornima SivaramanFebruary 13, 2024 at 6:48 AM

    I loved reading this cute one dear Aditi.
    The flow of writing and the twist in the end was cute❤️💕🤓😎

    ReplyDelete
  6. JayaFebruary 13, 2024 at 5:30 PM

    An engaging piece with layers of message... Enjoyed reading every word of it Aditi !

    ReplyDelete
  7. Surbhi BajajFebruary 13, 2024 at 9:37 PM

    Hey Wow, Aditi. Didn't predict the climax. It was a big surprise to me. Well written, I must say.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My life, my way!

  Autonomy; it is an eight letter word that sums up the end goal that most parents envision for their children. It is also something that is organically and gradually achieved as a child grows into a teen , and eventually into an adult. Or, does it?!!! Welcome to autism land where the term ‘autonomy’ takes on a completely different meaning, or is conspicuous by its absence. If you find yourself wondering about the hard hitting statement that I just made, then it’s time to take a step back to understand what the life path of many autistics, especially those with higher support needs looks like. As with all other autistics, those with high support needs  too have an atypical sensory profile, except, out here the level of difference is so intense that it impacts the attainment of gross and fine motor skills, besides a delay or complete absence of speech. What this also entails for parents and primary caregivers is that they have to actively work with us to help us achieve these...
Read more

But Why?!!

  But Why?! Rekha and Ravi counted every passing minute as they waited for the clock to chime ten. The passage of time took on a different dimension when waiting for an appointment in a developmental paediatrician’s clinic , waiting to be told what could possibly be wrong with the apple of your eye, who was all of two and half years old . Nidhi, the said apple of the eye, stood near the window, rocking , and completely oblivious to what was happening around her . ‘You can go in now’, said the lady who manned the front desk . Rekha and Ravi walked into Dr Shreya’s office with Nidhi in tow. ‘Good morning and please sit down’, said Dr Shreya, even as she observed Nidhi do a quick recce of her room before choosing to go and stand by the window , ‘Nidhi’s EEG and psychological assessment reports have come.’ Rekha and Ravi took a deep breath, bracing themselves for the worst . ‘Nidhi is on the Autism spectrum’, said Dr Shreya Rekha’s world came crashing down when she heard the A word . H...
Read more

Look Beyond the Label

  I am an author -an award winning author of fiction and this is the identity that I own with pride . Incidentally, the process of getting here involved quashing a few widely held myths about non-speaking autism and this is something that I have learned to take in my stride . It is also something that made me think about the ways in which I could use my voice to help parents , educators and the community at large   to understand non-speaking autism and the need for an alternative mode of communication better . I have had the opportunity to interact with middle schoolers   and their educators of a reputed school in my city that is affiliated to the IBO, a government school in my city where the students are children of daily wage workers , the educators of government schools from a neighbouring state and the educators, parents and community at large of a school for autistics in a Tier 2 town in my state , among others , in my capacity as a writer of fiction, who is also a n...
Read more