My Birthday Promise (Editing)

Mom meets Alisha

Mohit

As much as I love shopping with my mom for my stuff, I hate to go out shopping for her stuff. I know I sound like a hypocrite but it is true. The Pacific Mall was as big as Pacific Ocean and was hugely crowded; maybe because the wedding season was arriving. More than tired of paying for the bills, I was literally tired of carrying the bags around from one shop to another. And to top that there was always a chance of getting few more bags at each stop. After a long run of four hours we stopped at the food court to grab some bite.

"This place is really crowded," said my mom.

"I guess everyone is busy shopping for the coming wedding season."

"I think you are right." She said, looking around.

"What would you like to eat?" I asked my mom.

"Let's try something Mexican. Arjun told me Mexican food is the best in the whole world."

I was getting pissed of frequent Arjun's references by my mom. Ever since she stepped down in Delhi, all she talked about was Arjun. She spoke so highly of him that I started feeling a little jealous of him.

You are my mom, not his.

"The good news is we are done shopping." I added with a silly smile.

"Who said we are done shopping?" She looked at me in surprise.

"Huh." The smile wiped off my face in a flash. My head started spinning thinking of it.

"Come on, mom. You are shopping for yourself as if I am getting married."

"Arjun is like my son." Her big eyes flared at me. "You know he brings gifts from me from America every time he comes to India."

I didn't like her 'like my son' comment for Arjun. I was not an ideal kid in any respect. And I also know I was not an easy child, but still it hurt me when she said that.

"So he is like your son just because he bought you gifts." I couldn't resist passing the comment.

"I can see someone is jealous." She mocked me and laughed out loud.

Of course I was jealous of him. As per my mom he was very successful in his profession, well settled in America, plus now he was getting married. He was everything I dreamed of. Ever since she stepped down in Delhi all she talked of was Arjun. She spoke so highly of him that I was started feeling a little jealous of him. But when she called him 'like my son' my jealousy went to higher level.

"You know whenever Simi has to go out for some work she used to drop Arjun to our place. I used to baby sit him and breast fed him whenever required." She went on to support her statement.

I remained silent. I couldn't think of a possible reply. I simply flared my nostrils and looked away.

"What happened, Mohit?" She asked.

It was hard to argue with my mom. "Nothing. Carry on with shopping. Buy all the dresses you want. Buy all the shops. In fact I would suggest you to buy this mall." I hissed in dismay.

She broke into laughter. "I know it is not about shopping. You don't like the fact that I am so excited about Arjun's wedding."

I kept looking away.

"I like it, Mohit I like the fact that you are possessive of me. But what always kept eating me is that you never open up about your feelings."

I was possessive of her. I always felt that my mom loved my elder brother, Rohit, more than me. I don't know whether it is true or not but I felt this way. May be she loved Rohit more as he was the first child and since she had known him for three more years she felt closer to him. It could have been the case. As a kid I felt this intrinsic desire to prove her that I was equally good as my brother and this feeling remained buried inside me somewhere. And, today, she scratched the surface of the buried feeling when she spoke so highly of Arjun.