MY PERFECT MINUTE

 

It was my first day in Germany. As a 12 year old, I knew almost nothing that mattered about any European country. So as any other adoloscent would do, I decided to explore the myriad corners of the newly discovered land. I wore the toughest jeans, the strongest shoes and the most presentable shirt I had, along with a pullover. Then after I was satisfied with my attire and appearance, I stepped outside to the cool and sunny climate. There I witnessed my first glance on the beautiful country. I had arrived late the previous day and did not see anything but darkness. But now, it was all before my eyes and it was truly breathtaking. All my life I had spent in Coimbatore revealed no beauty as those that I witnessed that moment. Coimbatore was dry as a desert during summer and humid as a rainforest during monsoon. During my life in Coimbatore I had witnessed a rough and rugged beauty which made this serene beauty seem like heaven. For those of you who don’t know where Coimbatore is-it is a city in southern India in the state of Tamilnadu. So this view from my new and sadly temporary home was just amazing. The grass was green, drenched in dew, the air filled with the smell of countryside and of the trees and grass and every other spectacle that I witnessed on that amazing day. The trees looked greener than usual due the recent blossom after the extremely cold yet impeccably serene winter. If some idiot had told me then and there that life began in the very spot, I would have believed it without any uncertainty. Such was the beauty of the place. The very smell, sight or sound of the place made me believe in god, love and in every other mystic force more than ever. Even now if I smell, hear or see anything that is familiar to that moment of THE DAY, tears would flow from my eyes longing for that perfect moment. I had stayed but a month in Germany that first year but nothing equaled the marvel that I felt during that day. And even now sometimes I wonder if I would be given the gift of dying in such a beautiful place. It was a perfect minute that would last a lifetime in my thoughts.  

                                         "THE SECRET BEHIND MY MISSING CAT"

 

I had a cat once, named Mittu. I always wanted a dog but my mother wouldn’t allow it, so I got a cat. My mother was fine with it in the beginning but soon she realized that that training a cat was more difficult than what she had expected. So one day she gave the cat away, and when I said I couldn’t find Mittu, she said that she couldn’t find it and that it might have ran outside. So I went all over the neighborhood trying to find my Cat but she never said anything. She too, acted her part by claiming that she was worried (which I later realized was a BIG FAT LIE) and printed out posters and everything. But we couldn’t find Mittu anywhere in the neighborhood (OBVIOUSLY!). Soon as years passed I forgot about Mittu and life went on. I had really bonded with my cat though and she never left my nightmares.

When I was about 16, my mother whose guilt had increased tremendously through the years had finally confessed her mistake. I got really mad at her for doing so and I didn’t talk to her for about a week. But what really hit me was my mother’s decision to give the cat away secretly rather than asking me to take care of my cat better or something like that. Did my mother really think that low of me or did she have a problem speaking to her own son openly? I may never know the cause but what every parent reading this should realize that children should be told things, they should be given a chance to redeem their mistakes and should be given responsibility. No child would benefit from the thought that his/her parents feel that they can’t negotiate with their own child. Though I am sure my mother didn’t want to cause a fight and everything and I totally understand that, but what she would never know is that I will always remember what she did and would always feel that she hides something or the other from me………….