Tuesday, April 14, 2020

M is for... Mama of Four


Triya occupied a little more than one seat wherever we went, yet I was teased for being a mother of four. They never said it to my face, but we heard the hushed mutterings. The world always exaggerates, I would defend, and would ask Triya not to take it to heart.

She didn’t.

But I did.

‘I have a plan for you Triya,’ I declared when she brought home her graduation degree. She was a brilliant kid, I never had to worry about her academics. I had only one concern on my mind which gave me sleepless nights. Ever since she was a teenager, I was never without a proposal. It started with slimming pills suggested by Mrs. Verma, followed by naturopathy devised by Pragya, switched to feeding a fat cow once every fortnight as advised by Jaya, and so on.

‘I am going to convert our farmhouse into a retreat centre for you. You will have a nutrition expert and a gym instructor visit you every day. I have assigned two caretakers who will be at your beck and call 24/7,’ I announced. ‘Me and you father will visit you all the time.’

I am sure her heart would have sunk hearing this. Just a few moments prior to this she was rejoicing the fact that she was awarded a gold medal from the university. She had planned to take all her friends and celebrate this joyous occasion in the hills of Shimla at a five-star property. Suddenly the idea of a ‘retreat’ must be sounding like a gory one.

‘Mama!’ Triya screamed. ‘I’ve promised you I will shed twenty kilos this year. I will study at home, work with dad in the office and be available for whatever you decide to put me through. Why do you want to take this extreme step?’ I saw tiny lines of tears trickle down her eyes.

She must have thought of all the people I had met and spoken to in the last few weeks, she was extremely smart. This required a lot of strategizing against her and only my sister was capable of formulating such a devious plot.

‘This is Shanti Masi’s idea, isn’t it? I should have known you two were onto something. All those visits to the farmhouse were not for a party…were they?’ I heard Triya ramble while I just stood next to the dining table with a solemn face. She scored a 100/100 yet again.

‘You need to sit down first.’

She was furious, yet she grabbed a seat. Triya was always such an obedient kid. When girls her age were having tubs of ice-cream, she was eating from a box full of sprouts. She cheated only once a week, yet she lost only a kilo or so in a whole month. I was disappointed, and Triya could gauge my sadness in my eyes. My prayers had failed me yet again, and another remedy had rendered useless.

‘Triya, I know this is a very difficult thing that I am telling you to do. Next year you will be gone to America to pursue higher studies. There will be no one to cook low calorie meals for you. You will not have time to exercise. You have to reduce by at least 30 kilos, how will you be able to do that? It will be harder than it has been in the last 6 years, and you know how hopeless all your previous efforts have been?’ I explained calmly.

Her tears wouldn’t stop, and she was beginning to cough. ‘So, you are saying I will not be able to go out or meet my friends during this period?’ she asked trying to understand the plan through her pain.
‘You could. But only the ones who support you one hundred percent in your effort, who understand that you are on a regime that cannot be broken at any cost,’ I said, almost sounding like a military officer. ‘Look Triya, I have seen you heartbroken. When all your friends had a boyfriend, and you were a third wheel, you would cry yourself to sleep. I want you to have any man you desire, and for that, you know what you have to do.’


‘Make you a Mama of one,’ said my sensitive girl and walked into her room.

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This story is a part of AtoZ challenge by Blogchatter. For the 2020 challenge, I'll be writing some travel stories and some stories that originate in my life but find a way into this blog through fiction. I am new at this, so please be kind!!!




19 comments:

  1. owwww! That must have been so difficult for her. I have a cousin who has been on the heavier side all her life. Her mother and family are really supportive. But, it is difficult to live peacefully in this world without changing the whole world's mindset! So, she has her own instagram art series going on(more on mental health and self acceptance). Anyways, I enjoyed your storytelling skills:)

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  2. I seriously pity the poor girl. This obsession with weight is such a thing. I've hated it always.

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  3. I am feeling bad for Triya. That poor girl, who was about to celebrate her success has given the news of the retreat.I am sure there are many such Triya. I just hope people should stop making a big deal of body image.

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  4. I am still with the girl even after her mom's version... Although I can understand that the mom's heart wants her child to not lose out on anything and feel left out just because of weight....but I wish the mom accepted it and helped her daughter accept it so that she could take whatever comes with pride valuing herself the way she was :)

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    1. Parents always want the best for their children, it is how they want it that matters most. I believe the mother here just didn't know how to.

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  5. As someone who's failed at maintaining his weight over a lifetime, I can tell you that the frustration and inner loathing is real and manifests at all the worst times.

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    1. I am sure about that. First we hate having something that is not acceptable by the society. Second we hate those who are closest to us and even then don't understand our feelings.

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  6. Poor girl. It is important to stay fit, but it would be so much better if it could be incorporated into our daily lifestyle instead of entirely giving it up. Enjoyed the story.

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  7. I am very very very annoyed. I just don`t like this Mom...
    Good job Nikki

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    1. I succeeded in creating a villain!? Haha.. this would be a first!

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  8. Nicely picked up from where Triya’s version left off! I’m glad we could see both sides of the story unfold. Is there more in the works?
    www.nooranandchawla.com

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    1. I don't know. I am actually writing as and when the alphabet comes!!!

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  9. It's really difficult to satisfy our society. Hence, we should not think about them at all. Does a mother like this even exist in reality?
    -- rightpurchasing.com

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    1. Yes, they certainly do. They think they are doing their children a favor by helping them achieve greatness!

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  10. So this is the back story of why Triya ended up doing Kapalbhati for the 'K' Post.
    I'm still rooting for Triya although I'm beginning to warm up to Mama now. I've a hunch we will be seeing more of them this month.
    Cheers Nisha.

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    1. I'll try to write more about them. Thanks for reading!

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  11. Fat shaming almost always begins within the family.

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  12. Ouch! That must have hurt. Poor Triya! Fat shaming is the worst. :(

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Your sweetness makes my day. Gentle criticism will be taken in the right spirit too :)