Dave in INDIA

Dave is eccentric after his plans for the valentine’s day had taken terrific response from his estranged parents. Fed and Sophie had in all ways decided to sit and talk things out for once, for they could in fact realize that out of every one in the world, Dave undeniably still fancies for their ‘Red Tulip Cottage’ to come back to life again with the trio . Despite all odds that has taken the relationship for a toll, Fed and Sophie do miss the life they had together, somewhere implicitly. It is just that they could not get as expressive as Dave.

So Dave finally got them say Yes to venture out for a holiday. And the choice wasn’t too difficult, with Dave always wanting to visit India, (he would naturally have the urge to meet the one who created him, right?, pretty obvious ! ) . So here they go, all packed and seated in Air India from San Francisco.

Fed and Sophie are not particularly comfortable yet with each other, though.

Air Hostess to Fed : Would you like some Tea/Coffee , sir ?
Fed: Some Tea please

Air Hostess to Sophie : And you ma’am ?
Sophie: I am fine, Thanks

Dave hisses to Sophie : I’ve read it’s not really a hospitable gesture in India to deny a welcome drink.So, go ahead and accept it, mom.

Sophie : I don’t feel like , Dave. Now stop acting like the know-all, alright ?

Dave to the Air Hostess: ‘Namaste’, my mom isn’t really keeping well. She cannot take tea or coffee at the moment. I’ll have a cup of coffee, with milk and about half tea spoon sugar and some honey, please.

Airhostess: Of course , Is there anything else I can help you with ?

Dave : Nothing for now, Namaste

Airhostess : Namaste .

Fed : Since when have you started liking Coffee ?

Dave : I still don’t like coffee, dad. That’s for you .

Fed : Really ? Thanks, but I have had my share of Tea, so you really don’t have bother, Dave .

Dave pours in the coffee into Fed’s emptied Tea cup and terrorizes him that if he doesn’t drink the coffee , he would pee right on Fed’s T shirt.

After a while

Fed has gone sick after having had treat himself to a mix of tea and coffee and that has kept him disappeared from the seat for quite a while.

Dave is indulged in a magazine (Sophie is sleeping), when the beautiful airhostess offers him a pillow.

Dave: Oh, Thanks .

She offers him two more , possibly one for Fed and Sophie, each.

Dave: No Thanks, Mom doesn’t really like pillows and I don’t think Dad would be back soon to sleep.

Airhostess: Alright

Dave : That was a wonderful coffee, by the ways. Thank you.

Mom, Roses and valentine's day.

It’s the eve of valentine’s day. Dave is sitting all alone at his father’s place. He appears thoughtful, solemn.

Seeing his dad enter the room, Dave forces himself to offer a smile but doesn’t resist asking him the first thing,

“Dad, have you got any roses for mom”

Fed (That’s the short for Federer, Dave’s dad and I realize I hadn’t given him a name so far ) manages to keep the smile, though he could feel a sudden sense of hollow inside.

“No son. I haven’t” He kneels down to hold Dave. They face each other now.

“You always used to get her flowers when we were at the Red Tulip Cottage”. Now Dave can put a grave face when ever he feels like, especially with his dad and it might seem so genuine that Fed always tends to feel “oh-my-baby-anything-for-you” sort of thing.

“Yes, but things have changed now. Your mom and I don’t live together any more. You are a big boy to understand that. Right “

There is a pause .

“Can we go to see mom, tomorrow? “ And yes, he hasn’t changed his expression.

“Dave, Dave, now, you cannot be a baby. You know that’s not likely to happen. We cannot do that”.

“Why? Pearl’s mom and dad are going out for dinner tomorrow. Ms.Ruggets is not coming to school at all tomorrow. I saw your friend, out there buying roses! Why can’t I have all this ?”

Dave is shouting now and he has no idea what he is saying. Pearl hasn’t told him anything about her parent’s plans for Vday. Ms. Ruggets is ill and has not been coming in to school for the last 2 days. Dave really did not see any friend of his dad’s buying flowers. But who cares, Dave has got his reasons to sound defensive.

“Why can’t I have a normal life. Why is it like I have to stray around at your place and mom’s all the time. I am not asking for more. Just one evening at my house, OUR house. Can’t that be done. I am hurt, dad”.

“Dave, whatever the reason, you cannot get this adamant. Alright ? Your mom and I have decided to stay separate for some reasons. You may not understand and I don’t care about it. You don’t want to stray around at both the places ? Fine ! You can stay wherever you wish . And I am sure I will not ask you to come , stay with me, ever, EVER. Do you understand that ? Now, I want this discussion to end here “ ! Dave was for sure taken aback by the fury he saw on dad’s face. Fed doesn’t usually yell like that.

There is a pause again and Dave walks to his room, with a bowed head.

Thirty minutes later …

Dave is sitting on the bed, fiddling with the letters of scrabble.

Fed walks in. He is guilty. He has not shouted at Dave, this badly, before.

He quietly walks in and sits on the bed and smoothes Dave’s hair.

“We’ll go tomorrow to mom’s”

Dave swiftly looks closely for any that’s-not-going-to-be-easy kind of hints in Fed’s eyes. But there isn’t any.

“But you have to give me a word that you will not tell her anything that happened between you and me. It’s all going to look like a casual visit. Alright ? “ Fed is smiling now and Dave always feels his dad has got the best smile ever.

“I promise” Dave wipes out a tear from his cheek.

Fed goes back to the living room and Dave finds him immersed in a book.

There’s someone in pure stealth at the phone and Fed isn’t bothered a bit.

“Hi Mom, It’s Dave”

“Dave, what’s up. Why are talking so low? Is everything ok“

“Yes, I just wanted to tell you that Dad is planning for a surprise visit tomorrow.”

“What, Dad? “

“Yes, he says, he must meet you for the valentines day”.

There’s a pause on the other end.

“Mom, so see you tomorrow evening. Dad said he would like some pastas for dinner”.

Dave hitting 10

Dave is all dressed up and pleased with himself so much that he almost forgot how long he had been waiting for his Birthday cake to arrive. He hastily looks at the clock and frowns in annoyance.
Dave turns 10 today and that has given him the top of the world feeling because he is entering the 2 digit series.

Dave to his mom : “Aren’t they supposed to deliver the cake in 20 mins or so. I can sue them for this. I am an adult.!! ”

Mom : “Nope, that’s the pizzas. By the ways, you don’t become an adult until you turn 18.”

Dave : “Sheesh, I should have ordered a birthday Pizza, Dad said he anyways has the cake for me “ .

Mom : “ oh yes, Your dad just gave a call . He will here in no time. Are you staying with him tonight? “

Dave: “Yes, Kids whose parents have broken up don’t have too many options” .

Mom : “Dave, not again, not today, at least”

Dave “Am going to order pizzas for my birthday.”

Calls up the Dominos and starts shrieking in the highest ever pitch his voice could shoot up to.

Dave: “I HAD PLACED THE ORDER FOR PIZZAS YESTERDAY AND THEY STILL HAVEN’T COME”

The other person: “I am so sorry sir, could you please give us your details”

Dave: “ JUST CALL UP THIS NUMBER OK?, HE WILL GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS”

Quickly passes on a number.

Mom: “That was your dad’s number. “

Dave: ”Yes, I’ll have the pizzas by the time I get there with dad “

Mom : “And the cake? “

Dave : “That is not likely to come. I think I gave dad’s address when they asked for it yesterday”.

For those who have only recently been checking my blog, Dave is a fictional character whose parents have broken up. He peeps into my imagination and my blog, just whenever he feels like.

Dave enjoying a cup of fury !

Dave is in the classroom , when his teacher

walks in astonished
“Dave, what IS wrong with you ? You have hurt Pearl again ! “

Dave throws a flabbergasted look at both of them and for this one time, his instinct shoves him into an explosion of fury, fury and more fury.

“IT WAS NOT ME. SHE PUSHED ME INTO THE MUCK AND MUCKED UP ALL MY TROUSERS .SEE !
(Turns and bends slightly so that his but appears protruded from underneath his shirt and the muck over it is clearly visible) .

SHE IS THE ONE WHO CALLED ME A LOSER BECAUSE I LOST AT THE BASKET BALL LAST EVENING AND SHE SHOWED HER TOUNGE OUT AT ME WHEN I ENTERD THE SCHOOL TODAY. IT’S SHE, SHE ………SHE’S THE ONE ! “

“Calm Down, Dave “ . Ms Ruggets appears a little concerned now and surprised because she has not seen Dave quarrel with others .
“Pearl, is that true ? Did YOU push him into the muck today ?”

“Ms.Ruggets. umm, I did that, yes, but he called me names and he…he took MY strawberry cheese cake …it’s him “

“Forget it. (Sighs).I want you both to show a modest quantum of dignity while in class. Dave, I understand you have your own hitches, back home but let this be the last time I hear a complaint on you and Pearl, you MUST stop inviting Dave into quarrel for me retain my sanity. PLEASE ! “

“I’ve got cheese sandwich and Egg Bacons. Unlike you, I am gifted with a fine attitude of benevolence. I don’t mind you joining me for lunch, if you are too afraid to show any one that you’ve lost your pocket money for lunch and are starving”
That’s Pearl speaking, of course after Ms. Ruggets leaves . Pearl sometime is Commanding . And she has got the style of making herself clearly dominant.

“No THANKS. I hate the smell of packed food.(scowls in disgust) By the ways, I am NOT afraid of anyone, anyone at all. You wanna try that kid ? Now get off me, will you?”

Now well, Dave can pretend to get commanding, even if he gets a trembling throat most of the time. But this time, he could convince himself that he saw that taken-aback kind of look on Pearl’s face and that is a sign of victory.

Nevertheless, twenty minutes later, someone just saw Dave parking himself , closest to Pearl and his face dug into the Lunch kit of Pearl’s and if the listener was not wrong, this is what he heard Dave say ,

“I Looovvvveeeeeeeeeeeee Egg Bacons…hmmmmmmmmmm “ .

----- To be continued !

Life can't be pronounced with out I !!

Somebody said if you don’t do what you love the most, you would never love what you must do.And I decided to write more often.
Unlike the customary style of crash ending my new-year resolutions, I hope and I think I am quite determined upon the fact that I will write, well, more !

Now brooding over a topic that I wish, would lure the readers, I am convinced that I should offer wings and watch it take shape and fly gracefully. And she is called imagination. So here it goes…

Warning: By the way, I have no clue, whatsoever, on what is going to appear underneath !

He is called Dave . (Now Dave has been some sort of a fantasy name I used to have for so many imaginary characters…it’s not that I like it much , I Love it).

And he is roving around the book store, whiling away time. He loved to read, yes, but , not today. He was expecting someone.

(Well, I shall be using present continuous through out because Dave and the events enveloping his life, I believe, are real and current and I do not know how it ends, so I make it present continuous).

He is waiting for his dad to come and pick him up. It is a Saturday evening and Dave could not have been more lonely. By the ways, Dave is a brilliant boy, well, may be not brilliant enough to solve his fourth grade mathematics questions but brilliant enough to be emotionally stable and patient while his home is on the rocks.


He just witnessed his parents take split ways and he knows he can’t anymore have the home he loved once. His dad has moved out. And 'Red Tulip Cottage' has become quieter these days . Dave believes it's because his house misses his dad and sometimes wondered if his mom did too.

Dave spends his weekends with his dad and the week days with, ohh yes, his mom.

Every time he finds a man in glasses and jackets and a smile, his heart skips a beat and he goes on to look the farthest possible to find his dad coming. His dad is the most handsome man in his life.

He is restless and bored too . He can’t wait for that one whole day of candy bars and cheese balls and cinemas and his dad’s companionship…

... To be continued.

(I have been lately reading too much of Jaqueline Wilson collections and Dave is an inspiration from those. The tale might continue as and when Dave’s life moves around or so when I feel like it ).

Dave is 9 years old, by the way.