Being a ten-year-old is tiring. I mean, just like every day, today also my mom wakes me up from my sweet sleep, and then forces me to brush, following that, she urges me to bathe whilst I whine complainingly for not permitting me to nap for more duration.

"Hurry up dear, I have prepared your favorite breakfast today," my mom says and I beam excitedly. "Let me go eat then..." I try to run past her, but she pulls me back with a disapproving look.

"Only after bathing, you should come down to eat" mom utters and leaves the room after shutting the door. I pout sadly staring at the closed door. Then anyways, I decide to bathe and reluctantly enter there. I turn on the shower and grab the two different soaps on the holder.

One is “dove” and another is “lux”. Now advertisement time. I imagine myself in one of those television ads and rub the dove on one side of my cheeks and smile like those girls on the television do. And then, I scrab the lux on the other side of my cheeks, my smile still the same.

Washing away the bubbles from my face, I touch my both cheeks and check which one is softer. However, I stand perplexed when I find my both cheeks in the same status. Which one do I use now? Of course, both of them. I grin at my thought.

"Time is nearing!" My mom yell from my room and I hastily proceed to bathe, getting done with it in very few minutes. As I exit the restroom, I detect my uniform being kept properly in the bed.

Ah. I need to put all those things on my body. What I especially hate in these is the socks. I don't know why.

Once I'm under those uniforms, I skip downstairs to my mom who is ready with the products that would make my face enhance....it's ponds powder and some eyebrow liner, plus a tiny black bindi.

She also does my hair, by combing it well and placing a red bow that carries an artificial flower on its left side. I shake my head for fun, making my shoulder-length hair sway along with my motion.

Afterward, I had the delicious poori my mom had prepared for me and she momentarily shuffles me to my advocate aunt's home which is just three houses away from ours.

My mom is a busy person. As she owns a restaurant, she barely gets time to spend on me. Meanwhile, dad is in abroad for some reasons that I don't understand. Basically, he is a business personality so...

"Take care sweetheart" my mom kisses me on my cheeks and vacates me alone in the living room of Advocate's aunt's house. She is mom's best friend and a tending person so I don't feel uncomfortable or out of place when I'm here.

To be more precise, this feels more like home than my own home.

Heeding Vicky's crying noise, I swing away the straps of my school satchel and, place it on the couch. Then I quickly scoot to the room on the right end of the living room.

There, the three-year-old Vicky is, crying in the cradle as If the world is going to end. "Shhuu," I try to hush him as I clutch the edge of the cradle and peek inside.

He is the cutest baby I've ever seen. I swear. He looks adorable to an awe extent. Also, he always gawks at me intently...but when I try to carry him in my arms, he would straight up deny it.

Confusing baby.

Yet, I love him though.

"Good morning Vicky" I grin at him, ignoring the fact that he is sobbing back at me. "He woke up ah.." aunt appears inside the room and soothes him by rocking him back and forth in her arms.

I glance longingly at the sight. Will he ever settle on my hold like that? Why is he reluctant to be in my arms?

Noticing my gaze, aunt lowers Vicky who has now stopped wailing to my height level. "Want to hold him?" I glance at Vicky's naive eyes as aunt qualms me. "But he would start crying again If I were to carry him" I express the reality. It's not like aunt doesn't know about this though. It's just she doesn't lose the hope of one day Vicky will come to me without tantrums...

I wish the same.

Aunt understands my point of view and nods her head. "I will get him ready in a few minutes" she utters and dashes into the restroom while I go back and rest in the living room.

"Thikshitha, had breakfast?" Advocate uncle questions as he steps in from the entrance of the home. "Yes uncle, what about you?" I ask and he nods positively before adding a 'yes'.

He is already in his professional attire. He is a strict person. I scarcely see him smile too. "Linya, are you not ready yet?" He taps on the room door, kind of impatiently. He looks so agitated. "Yes yes I'm" Aunt unlocks the door and smiles.

She has also decked in the same attire as uncle and in her hand is, Vicky. He is in a blue t-shirt and black loose pants. Then aunt makes him eat a few bites of food and cleanses him up.

And actually...this is the first day of Vicky going to school. Aunt has given me the responsibility to plop him in his class. He is going to create a scene like every other kid! Or just that I thought so? Cause when aunt and uncle dropped us a few distances off from our school, on their way to court, Vicky stands bold for a three-year-old in the road, beside me.

The thing is, to reach the court they have to go straight, but our school is on a left-cut road. It would take time for the car to be rolled in and out. Which is why they evacuate us here and tells us to be safe while walking in.

There's no need for reaping scared though. Because there is a police station in this way, and I'm pretty sure, no danger will be occurring to us on our way to school. Moreover, vehicles also run slowly due to the several speed breakers and police scrutiny.

"Shall we go?" I carefully walk near Vicky and attempt to grab his hand to guide him in the direction of the school. "Yes," he smiles and wraps his tiny fingers around my hand.

A gentle breeze washes us as I look down at Vicky. I hope this moment would be the starting point of our love.

.................

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How was it guys?😚