It was more than a day since we went to those places. I felt nice going out. Today, I up and saw out from the window. So, the room I sleep has got two windows. One near the foot of the bed while the other is next to that grey cupboard. Sometimes there will be kids playing and I like seeing them play, hit and scream on each other. But today, there was no such luck. I got down from the bed and started walking towards the kitchen. Yes, that's what Mummy has been trying to teach me. I will remember it and then forget for the whole day.

Now that they put some thing around my ankles which makes sound when I walk, they know I am coming before I actually come. First few days I was surprised because as soon as I would walk, they would start calling me. But I am also smart, I figured out how it works. A teeny bit of thought was brushed away when Mummy mentioned to Daddy that now she is alert when I would come. She has this weird feeling what if I sneak out, come to kitchen, stand just behind her and she trips because she doesn't know I was there.

I reached kitchen and Mummy screamed, "Please take Anu to bathroom! I am very busy here."

Another thing Mummy is trying to teach me- taking me to bathroom, how to pee there and not anywhere else. I keep forgetting that too. I am still a small kid and it takes me sometime to learn these things. But I am feeling little weak since I got up. Maybe I was hungry, like really hungry. I have been coughing since yesterday and some liquid kind of thing from my nose.

Mummy gave milk and I drank it. I felt little better. Then I was engrossed seeing Daddy putting some white thing on lower half of his face. He took some blue colour thing and started removing white thing with it. After that he washed his whole face with water. Why couldn't he directly wash his face with water? Why did he use the blue thing?

He lifted me and asked, "Lets see if Anu needs to do shaving."

He looked at my face, making funny faces and declared, "No need. Your face is clear like your mother's."

After wasting away some time, Daddy left with his bag. This person goes somewhere in the morning with a brown sling bag and comes in the night. I miss Arun Mama. He would be there almost all the time at home, singing with me.

I was fed and the Mummy ate something. She told me, "Anu, I will be going to take bath. You sit here like a good girl, playing with your toys. Okay? In spite of having many toys you'll go to that kitchen to take those onions, tomatoes and garlic."

I sat down and started playing with the toys she had put on the floor. Some moments later, I heard the sound of door shutting down. I felt quite weak, felt like going and sleeping. I decided to walk back to the room and climbed the bed. While I lay on the bed, slowly slipping into peaceful sleep when Mummy called, "Anu, where are you?"

I replied to her, "Me hee, in room."

She came to the room and started ranting, "Why are you sleeping like this? Did I feed you too much? Or are you feeling lazy?"

Calm down lady, I am feeling tired.

She came to make me sit on the bed and I was stuck to it. She touched the back of my neck, to give support while making me sit. I think she sensed it that time. She touched my forehead and she wailed, "Oh Anu! You've fever! I don't know any good doctors here. I have been telling your father to ask someone in his office if they know a paediatrician-"

The doorbell saved me. It was our maushi. She comes to our house to sweep the floor and mop them too. Mummy had a big discussion with her.

"Maushi, Anu has taap, since morning."

"Aga deva! Did you show her to any doctor?"

"No, not yet. Um, Maushi, do you know any good doctor for kids like her?"

"I have heard many people taking their children to Dr. Pandey."

"Dr. Pandey? Is he a good doctor?"

"Arre didi, parents in akha Airoli takes their kids to him. But he doesn't come here every day. He visits on alternate days to Airoli."

"Other days? In some other hospital?"

"No didi, he has a clinic in Mulund."

"Oh I see! Where is his clinic in Airoli?"

"I am not sure didi, it must be in sector fifteen, next to the Airoli Police Station. You do one thing, next to two buildings from here, there is one Punjaban's house. You go and ask her. I will tell her when I go that you will come to ask her."

"Maushi, how can I. . . "

"Aga didi, if I knew how to read and write, I would have got it myself. You don't worry, everyone is ready to help here."

"Also, I needed one more help from you. I have to put tonic to reduce Anu's fever. Can you just hold her for a minute or so?"

"Didi, I have to go to other houses also."

"Pakka it won't take much time."

I was woken up despite of much resistance put by me. Maushi made me sit on her lap and held my hands, forehead very tightly. Mummy held the pink syrup in a small transparent cup, I freaked out. Shit! It's that disgusting thing which they pour. I hate it. My mouth can't taste anything for a long time.

I started kicking my legs in air but she poured it into my mouth. She made me see the ceiling until I gulped it. Then came the horrible part. She took me in her arms and started rubbing my back, gently. I burped. Like the taste of pink syrup travelled back from stomach to my mouth. That is what I hate. That is what disgusts me.

The good thing about this medicine is, which definitely don't want to admit is, I feel sleepy. Like I felt really very sleepy, which I was very happy about. These two women had ruined my sleep and I cried for some time. Good for them that I again felt sleepy else I had no plans to stop crying.

I slept for a century maybe because when I got up, I could hear kids playing, which means I will drink milk again. But when I get up, I still feel weak. I don't have energy to stand and walk. I can tell why I felt that way. The thing was Mummy was completely ignoring the fact that I woke up. She had opened the cupboard and was searching for something. On normal days, I would sneak stealthily and get hold of some cloth, at least a handkerchief. Mummy understood I was weak not to walk, so she searched in her normal pace.

But here's when she underestimated me. Or maybe she decided to trust me like Daddy does. She kept something on the bed and ran to kitchen. She does that sometimes and yells while running, "My tea! My tea!"

The thing on the bed was like the books which sometimes Mummy would read out to me. I opened it and started seeing the pages. They were not proper pages, some were big, some were small. Mummy came running to the room. "Anu! I forgot your medical file here. First you have your milk, then we must run to clinic. The doctor will be here by 6 o'clock."

We are in this over-crowded place. We waited for a long time before my name was called. We went inside, the man in white dress told that I have fever. Mummy was smart to put something called diaper because last time I had peed on another fellow. This fellow in front of me was talking a lot. A lot and it sounded like shit! Like even I don't talk that much non-sense. After a lot of chatter, she held me and we walked out.

Then we went to some shop, bought something. We boarded that yellow-black vehicle and what surprised me was Mummy didn't speak with me much. I thought something was wrong. I didn't speak much. Anyways, I was still feeling weak.

We went home and I was fed dinner. When I decided it was good time to sleep, Daddy came in. Mummy didn't speak with him much. I guess she was angry. But yes, she asked for a small assistance, "Help me in pouring this tonic to her."

The same torture was repeated again. I felt like puking. I could feel this time, with that tonic flavoured burp, something more was coming out from my stomach. I vomited the dinner that I ate sometime ago. Mummy gave a little hard blow on my back. The she started the ranting, "I am here, all alone, trying to figure out how to take care of her, to take her to doctor."

She turned to Daddy and said, "You have to go to work, you cannot come to clinic, I understand. But can't you help me in things which you can? You won't help me in kitchen, fine. You could have at least got that paediatrician's number?"

"What's the problem now? You got the number, you took her to clinic, so what?"

"So what! I can't even believe this! You need to understand that I left her all alone in the home while she was sleeping, to get to know that paediatrician's number, his schedule, went to that PCO near that kirana store, which was outside the building to inform you. That road from this flat to the clinic was so scary."

"What was so scary, this road next to building connects to the main road. That clinic was near that police station too."

"I have never been on that road!"

"We have gone on that road a thousand times. Every time you need to buy all the rice, dals and pulses, we go on that road. Now feed her, we have to pour medicine again."

"Yes! Of course! You will order me now! What if I order you?"

She went to the kitchen. She got some rice which I had no interest of eating. They were so engrossed in fighting that they didn't even bother I was crying because Mummy had hit me. I was too scared to tell her no to eating again. I was tired and I wanted to sleep. I tried to sleep before eating but she didn't let me. She said, "Then you'll not sleep in the night."

I was fed again and this time I was poured that tonic, again. The good thing was I didn't puke. So, I was tucked in bed. She started patting me. But I guess it was not needed. I slipped into my world of dreams.

Translations:

Maushi: Term used for housemaids, though the translation from Marathi would be Maasi (in Hindi) or simply Aunt

Taap: Fever in Marathi

Akha: Whole in Marathi

Airoli, Mulund: Regions in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai to be more specific. Each region in Mumbai is divided into sectors.

Kirana: Small supermarket type of shops but they don't qualify as supermarkets