From Sunday to Thursday, we sleep at 2030h. I wake up the next day at 0400h, and once I’m done with my morning rituals (toilet, tea, meditation, social media, email, dress for my walk), I wake up Baby Bear at 0500h, who then proceeds to get ready, eat her snack, and leave with me at 0545h for the race course on BattleCat, and upon reaching, warming up, stretching, running, and training (while I do my 8.4km, which is 10,000 steps) till 0730h, when we have a nimbu-pani outside and climb on the bike to head home for shower, breakfast, and our daily activities.
On Friday or Saturday nights (depending on whether I’m riding on Sunday or Saturday), I party (and Ms Kym-Kym has sleepovers or late-night movies or whatever else she fancies). And then, we sleep in the next day!
Last night, Misbah, Maryam, Kym, and I went to the Residency Club for a movie (Dunki, if you must know; and please don’t get me started on the utter shitshow it was, but we are digressing), where the film is projected on a large screen in the lawns next to the swimming pool, there’s a bar and a chat counter, and you can get up and stretch your legs, order your drink, chit-chat about life, all without either disturbing others or missing the story that’s unfolding on the screen. Just perfect. The kids get their movie with fries and bhel, dosas and spring rolls, and bearers fawning over them, while we two adults can, well, do adult things.
It was a chilly night, and post-dinner at the club, we went out for Naturals ice cream, where I had nine flavours (yes, when I want ice cream, I want ice cream; and in case you are wondering, they were black currant, blueberry, gooseberry, strawberry, kesar-pista, kaju-kismis, tender coconut, chocolate-almond, and chocolate chips) while the others had one each. And at half past midnight, Baby Bear and I were snuggling in the duvet at home.
But this post isn’t about any of that. This morning, when I tried waking her up, she said, as she wrinkled her tiny nose and rubbed her eyes, suppressing a yawn, ‘Mr Baba, I was just finishing my dream. Would you mind terribly if I went back and saw how it ends?’
Now, you’d think I’d have something profound to say here. I don’t. I just think she’s the cutest little, cuddliest bear in the world. And I am the luckiest man alive.
