Choti Si Duniya - ArShi FF

140. A page from Payal-Akash's lives

This one is for happyy_me. Wish you many happy returns of the day, dear!❤️🤗

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The school where Raizada kids studied had declared a holiday that Friday, November 14th, for children's day. And the day was looking like a jam packed one to manage for Payal. A 10-year-old daughter whose exams were approaching but she was more interested in reading story books (and you couldn't deny her because it was "her" day), a 3-year-old who had made it his mission to scatter his toys all over his parents' bedroom (it was his day too), and a husband who had told her he was not going to office today but working from home (despite it not being his day)!

"Mammaaa, tell Piya to play with me!" Palash said, pulling her hand, demanding her to tell his elder sister to play with him with his toys- especially his latest Lego set, something Piya didn't enjoy doing even when she was his age. Sometimes, Payal thought, having 7 years of age gap between her kids was too difficult to manage. They should have planned something like khushi and Arnavji, whose kids had just 3.5 years of gap. But then, they had 3 little tornadoes to handle and the youngest one, Arohi- was equivalent to 2 more!

Payal shook her head at that thought and bent to her boy's level, "Golu, what have we told you to call her? Piya Jiji! She is your elder sister, right? Call her jiji!"

Palash frowned, not fancying the word.

It made Payal remember the days they had been trying to teach Aru the same who had given quite a hard time to add that suffix to Piya's name and eventually settled for 'Di'... well, some times. Chiku had easily accepted but he too preferred calling Di or didi instead of Jiji. And then little Pari still struggled with forming proper words so it was no use to hope she would say "jiji" anytime soon. But Payal wished at least one kid in the house used 'jiji' for Piya.

Palash stomped his pudgy feet, and said, "Okay! Can you- pweaase tell piya jee-jee to pway with me?"

Payal suppressed a chuckle. This baby language was so not him. He could say almost all words properly now. But Aru's influence on him- to switch to baby language when you want to look extra cute and get work done- had rubbed on him!

She held his hand and went to the other room across theirs, which Piya and Palash shared. Piya used to sleep with her parents, on their bed, for many years- until Palash's birth. And then she got her separate bedroom, just across from her parents'. Recently, they had squeezed in a small bed for Palash too, now that he was old enough to stay there with his sister.

Piya was sitting cross legged, with her favorite book in hand. The book provided her a happy escape from exam tension and then the gloom of missing her favorite hairband! Yes, her favorite hairband had gone missing since yesterday. Even after searching everywhere, she hadn't found it. Her Khushi maasi had even given her one of her own, the one Piya always loved. But the missing one was still her favorite. She had bought it from Lucknow last year. Her mamma had promised she would find it today, but for that Piya had to do one hour of science revision. And Piya had been postponing that and was instead lost in her story about an adventurous princess.

The story was at a very interesting point when she heard Palash's excited voice from outside her room and she groaned in frustration. Palash was becoming so ziddi (stubborn), he went to their mamma when Piya said no to play with him! At first, she tried to ignore both of them, even when she heard her mother's voice at the door mixed with Palash's giggles. But she knew she had no option. So she reluctantly closed her book, and Palash jumped in victory. Lego session it was, instead of the princess with magical powers!

Payal affectionately ruffled her firstborn's hair and whispered for her ears only, 'Few minutes of play will not hurt, Piyu. And yes, we are going to sit for your science revision after lunch.'