The Craving
Nina returned from her college and the first thing she did was to check surreptitiously if her mom had touched the tin of butter biscuits that she loves. The tin was unopened.
She heaved a sigh of relief. Her mom was certainly trying to mend her ways. Nanu returned from school a little later. He was not as refined as his college going sister. He was blunt. ‘Mom did you behave yourself?’ With a glance, Nina indicated that their mom had not touched the tin. He generously patted his mom on the head (he was taller than her) and said ‘Good, keep it up,’ just as she would almost every time he brought his progress report for her signature.
Late in the evening, Naresh returned from office. It looked as if he had forgotten his wife’s request.
After dinner, when he sat before the TV to watch the news, he saw the biscuit ad and rushed to the pantry to check if the tin was intact. Anandi had enlisted her kids’ and husband’s help in achieving her mission of avoiding those fat laden biscuits that she was so fond of.
She distributed a few biscuits to her kids from the tin and offered it to Naresh who refused it. Three pairs of eyes followed her till she shut the lid firmly without helping herself to a single biscuit. “Day 1, completed successfully,” Naresh grinned. Anandi smiled back at him.
There was something wrong in her smile. It did not light up her eyes. ‘She will get used to not eating those biscuits as and when she pleased.’ He told himself and went out for a stroll.
Anandi waited till her kids had shut themselves in their respective rooms. Before doing the dishes, she called her best friend, Sulekha. “I feel so depressed Lekha.” “Why? Is something wrong?” Lekha was concerned with Anandi’s tone. “The problem is me, Lekha. I have just cheated my entire family. I feel so guilty; I want it off my chest; that’s why I am disturbing you at this hour.”
“What did you do Anandi?” “Well, I had promised myself and my family that I would not touch butter biscuits for a month so that I can get out of the habit of gobbling up a number of those everyday. I had requested my kids and hubby to check the tin everyday to ensure that I don’t touch the biscuits. Today is the first day. After coming back in the evening, the kids and Naresh did what I had asked them to do.” “Oh! I understand Anandi, you were your usual self and helped yourself to those biscuits generously, and the kids and your hubby were angry.” “No, Lekha, it was not that. They found the tin intact.” Lekha was perplexed and remained silent for a few seconds.
Anandi continued, “I had promised myself that I would not touch the biscuits. But I found that it was very difficult to control my craving. I took just one, then just one more. After an hour or so just before my lunch, I went on a binge and….” Lekha interrupted, “How come then….”
“Before Nina returned from her college, I rang up the corner store wala and asked him to bring a fresh tin and hid the old one.” “I feel that I have cheated myself, my kids, my husband…..”
Lekha spent the next half hour consoling her friend!
© Soumya Srinivasan., all rights reserved.
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