She smiled. Outside, the honking of the city started. Inside, the faint smell of poha and jasmine incense lingered. In three hours, the house would erupt again with school stories, office gossip, and Dadu’s unsolicited advice on everything from politics to pickles.
By 8:00 AM, the family squeezed around the small dining table. Breakfast was a silent, frantic affair—except it was never silent. The television blared a morning news debate where five people shouted over each other. Meena packed lunch boxes: parathas for her husband, Vikram, a sandwich for Rohan (who would trade it for a samosa anyway), and a tiny box of cut fruit for Anjali, who was “on a healthy kick” after watching a YouTube video.
At 7:15 AM, the front door burst open. Grandfather, or Dadu as everyone called him, returned from his morning walk. He was 72, but moved like a man on a mission. He carried the newspaper, a small bag of guavas for the family deity, and the neighbourhood gossip.
At 8:25 AM, the exodus began. Vikram kissed the top of Meena’s head, grabbed his briefcase, and beeped the car. Rohan slung his bag over one shoulder, Anjali adjusted her hairband for the tenth time, and Dadu settled into his armchair for the morning nap that he insisted was “just resting his eyes.”
And then, silence.