What is more satisfying for Aththamma than watching her granddaughters busying themselves and chatting with her at home?
Taruki is drawing a picture of a rainbow. She makes long strokes of rainbow colours, starting with purple (which she pronounces as ‘pur..er…er…pel’). To her little mind, purple is a beautiful colour.
Then comes a streak of blue followed by green. From the top of her page to the bottom, she draws all the rainbow colours, finishing with a black line.
‘Why a black line?’ I ask her. She thinks for a while and says, ‘Aththamma, this is not a rainbow. It is a big slide.’
Her imagination runs wild. She draws a stick person on the slide, two stick people on top of the slide, and one at the bottom, standing and waiting.
She explains, ‘I don’t know the stick person on the slide. The two on top are Mum and Dad. The stick person next to the slide is me, and I’m waiting for Mum and Dad to tell me, ‘Ready, go!’
I watch her serious face, smiling. She has confidence in her mum and dad to direct her in taking tiny steps in her life.
I am getting ready for my morning yoga when Nikini skips her way into the kitchen. Nikini is my other granddaughter. I stand on my right foot and balance myself with outstretched arms.
I hear Nikini giggling, trying to catch my attention. I continue with my yoga and ask, ‘Did you have a dream last night, Nikini?’ Nikini is fond of telling me stories, especially her dreams, every morning.
But before Nikini describes her dream, Taruki puts one finger to her mouth and says, ‘Zero.’
Times have changed, I think. Her teacher doesn’t say ‘Stop talking’ anymore, I guess.
‘Who is your teacher, Taruki?’
‘Esther..er..er’ comes the prompt answer.
The next thing surprises me again.
‘Aththamma, this is how we make ‘pinky friends,’ she says as she wraps her little finger around mine in a chain.
‘Oh, that’s a nice gesture between friends,’ I say happily. ‘I like being your friend, Taruki. Now both of us can listen to Nikini’s beautiful dream.’
‘Zero,’ I whisper, putting my finger to my lips as Taruki sits beside me, ready to listen.
‘Aththamma, a dog tried to bite Olive and Lil,’ Nikini says. Olive is Nikini’s little sister, and Lil is her little cousin.
‘Oh no! What happened next?’ I ask.
‘Mum stopped her work and came running down the lane to shoo the dog away. Dad stopped washing the car and jumped over the fence. Grand dad was sitting outside in the sun, but he heard the cries and came cycling as fast as he could. And you, Aththamma, were holding a wooden spoon in one hand and hurrying down the garden path with me following you. The dog got scared and ran to hide under a bush.’
As Nikini finishes telling her dream, I smile and say, ‘What a lovely dream, Nikini. That’s what a family is—family will always be there when its members are in trouble and need help. We help each other.’
‘Let’s get ready to eat kiribath,’ I conclude
By Diyamanthi Galpoththage – Auckland
