Wilted Petals

Epilogue

(10 years later)

"I'm home!" I call, amidst the sounds of barking and claws scratching against the floor. I expect to be greeted by a wagging tail and a cloud-like creature running towards me, probably with Vivek following in the background and Shalini dragging Manish by the finger to come see me.

Surely enough, I see Marley, our yellow labrador, and Mila, our Samoyed, running towards me, both with their tails wagging so fast that I'm positive they'll take off for Austria sometime soon. Mila jumps on my thighs, and her black, marble like puppy dog eyes demand cuddles.

I go to give her a good scratching behind the ears, as Marley jumps on my other thigh. My other hand goes to pet her as well, as I see Manish leading towards me. Surely enough, Shalini is running towards me, with one of her little hands interlocked in Manish's and dragging him towards me.

"Shalu, slow down, I'm coming!" Manish squeals, in an attempt to slow her down, but I can see Shalu just roll her eyes.

"I have to go see Amma!" she cries, and when she's close enough, I kneel down and spread my arms out. "Hi, Amma!" she squeals, as she throws her little arms around me in the tightest hug she can muster.

"Hi, Shalu! How was school today?" I ask, as Manish just giggles a little bit. Marley has gone to get attention from Manish, while I'm still petting Mila with my free hand.

"It was good. I finished all my homework!" she proudly proclaims, as I bring her out of the hug to praise her properly.

Shalu, as we call her at home, is our seven year old bundle of joy daughter. As I keep on looking at her, I really take note of how she has inherited some of Manish's key features. She has his giant, luminous smile, his kind brown eyes, his ravenous crop of hair, as well as the same tenderness that made me fall in love with Manish twice.

However, she definitely has inherited my sharp sense of sarcasm as well as my brutal honesty and sharp tongue. But one thing is for sure. She, along with my 5 year old son Vivek, may be mixes of Manish and I, but they are both nothing short of perfect.

I want to lift her up like she's a little baby again, because she is my baby, but I'm almost certain I don't have the physical strength to do so. Instead, I settle for the second best option, which is to hug her while she's clinging to my knee and while the dogs are sitting next to me. "Good job! Are you going to help Appa in the kitchen with dinner?"

Shalu, while still clinging to my leg, gives me an excited nod. Manish can't help but giggle behind her. "She's my little helper."

The next thing I know, Vivek, has latched onto my other leg and is hugging me. "Shalu, do you want to clean up your pencils from the table? They're scattered everywhere."

Shalu then immediately latches off of my leg and bolts to the table, while I hug my son. Like Shalu, he's the perfect mix of Manish and I. He has his tanned skin, his adorable button nose, while he inherited my sly smile, piercing brown eyes, and lighter brown hair.

As I'm reflecting on how both my kids are perfect mixes of Manish and I, Manish comes up and slides an arm around me. "How was work, baby?" he asks, while planting a little kiss on the side of my face. I hug Manish back, as I stare deep into his warm brown eyes.

After ten years, the few lines on his face and the occasional grey strand of hair embedded in his head are a bit more noticeable. But he's still the same man I fell in love with, and 10 years of being together and almost 8.5 years of being married reaffirms the feelings that continue to burn so strongly in me.

"Tiring, as always. Did you take the dogs out?"

Manish nods, as his grip around me loosens. "Of course. I almost lost Mila because she saw a squirrel, but I was able to contain her."