Every year during the summers Heer’s cousins visited them in Kathmandu. This year just like every other year Heer was very excited to spend time with them. She was most excited to play with them and unwrap the gifts they brought from Delhi. Her cousins got her the best comics and she would always send her Aunt a list of craft supplies she needed. Markets in Delhi had so many things Heer wished they got in Kathmandu.
Heer had asked Masi to get her blow pens, florika 3d kit, puff up colors- colors that get puffed if you iron on the back of the paper where they are painted, and some crayons which had different animals on their head. Heer told Nani about the new games she had learnt in school and was planning on she playing with Aman and Sia. Heer was eagerly waiting for Sunday for their arrival.
It was Sunday Heer kept asking Nani for updates on her cousins’ travel all morning. After a point it began annoying Nani, but she understood the happiness their arrival brought for Heer. It was 11:00 am, 30 minutes past their flight’s landing time. Heer’s house was 25 mins from the airport. She stood at the balcony waiting for their arrival, and after waiting for more than 20 mins a cab stopped in front of their gate and her aunt and cousins stepped out. She was ecstatic.
After greeting them and offering them water, all Heer could think of was playing with them and getting her gifts. To her, their lives felt so different, their clothes also smelled different, everything felt superior. She never said it out loud but it was aspirational to her. Masi opened her suitcase and gave her a bag full of her gifts. She also got her a very pretty suit that Heer instantly decided she would wear for Diwali. Masi also got new glasses and lovely clothes for Nani and winter clothes for Nani’s Bhagwanji (idols of Hindu Gods). Nani had a whole collection of clothes for Bhagwanji and she ensured she had new clothes for them for every festival. It was another thing they both did together, stitched clothes for Bhagwanji, while Nani did most of the stitching it was Heer who picked out the fabric lace and combinations.
After they had all gotten their gifts, including Aman and Sia who were gifted remote operated Chinese cars from Nani, the kids decided to go to the garden and play with their new toys. Aman and Sia were thrilled to be able to lay down in the grass and play out at noon. They told Heer how lucky she was to be able to play outside in summers and also for the lovely grass her garden had. Heer felt a sort of happiness she didn’t understand.
After lunch the kids took an afternoon nap and later in the evening they sat with their Nani to listen to stories. Nani often told them stories from Indian mythology, and the kids loved this part of their vacation the most. Aman and Sia told Nani that they were jealous that she lived with Heer and not them. Nani told them that they were lucky that their parents lived with them and Heer’s parents were away and met her once or twice a year. Aman however still felt jealous that Heer also got to play out during summers and lay on the grass, to which Heer pointed out that they lived in a bigger wonderful city with more stationary options.
Nani was impressed by their debating abilities but realised that it was important to calm them down else it would be a difficult evening. She told them that there is something special about everyone’s life and that there will always be something that someone else has that you want, but that doesn’t mean you need it or you will get it. She stressed that if all the kids enjoyed what they had, they would be happier. Aman quickly pointed out that he played cricket with his Dad every weekend and if he lived with Nani he couldn’t, to which Heer added her happiness of eating prasad every evening during temple visits with Nani. Finding happiness in themselves, the kids continued to play , ate dinner and slept like logs all night.
