One Afternoon

The afternoon clock said it was 2:30 p.m. The caller on the phone was desperate. My heart grew heavier as I listened in. Not again, not today. I just couldn’t manage to leave office today. I pacified the caller with an assurance that I would come home if the situation did not improve in the next ten minutes.

I looked again at the clock in the corner of my laptop screen. It was not cooperating. It was just 2:31 p.m. There were 89 more excruciating minutes before Toyna would get home. I pushed my chair and got up from my seat. The document on the screen was no longer important. I aimlessly wandered to get myself a glass of water. Anything to distance myself from work, from the agony of home. When will things get better, when will Toyna get home?

I tried to focus back on work, and was saved by a team member trying to clarify a doubt. As we got back into discussions, the clock felt ignored and decided to rush a little. Before I knew it, it was already 3:15 p.m. When I chanced upon it, my heart stopped. I had promised I would call back again after 10 minutes. I hurriedly called home to check how Yog was doing now. He was thankfully settled and watching nursery rhymes on the TV. While I hate to use TV as a means to calm him down, I guess desperate situations call for desperate solutions as well.

I allowed the TV to run for while, at least till Toyna got home from school. I knew once she got home, all would be well again. Yog would be happy to see her and she would know exactly what to do if he was still cranky. In the worst case, if she was not able to handle the situation, she would call me with a clear synopsis and I could guide her on what to do.

It has been three days that Yogs grandmother went out of town and we installed a new nanny for Yog. Yog refuses to allow the new nanny to come close to him. Every time he goes into his moods, she calls me desperately and requests me to come home. Three days  have been a pure battlefield trying to balance work and Yog in my 24 hour long day. The silver lining to this grey cloud has been Toyna.

Without a single strain of panic or stress, she just so easily assumed the “Lady in Charge” position at home. While distracting Yog with her antics, she would guide the Nanny on how to handle Yog appropriately. She would first pacify Yog, then the Nanny and then me over the phone by providing an accurate update of the ground situation.

To think that she is barely 10 years old herself, I could never have expected her to play this role so effortlessly. When she is around Yog, I don’t have to worry about Yog at all. She just knows what to do. Looking back, I wonder when did she transition from being my responsibility to being my biggest asset. What would I ever do if she was not by my side?