#A day in the life of a #working#mom

Disclaimer- This is a story- a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any characters in your life (boss, maid, spouse, kid etc) or any events in your life (chums, important presentations to important people, kids illness etc) is unintended and purely coincidental.

A terrible throb in my lower abdomen wakes me up. Its only 3:10 am and I try to ignore the throb and go back to sleep. I keep tossing and turning to get to a comfortable position but the throb continues. I have a busy day tomorrow. I will be making the pitch of a lifetime for the project of a lifetime to the client who will fund it for a lifetime. Well at least his lifetime. Or my company’s lifetime whichever is shorter. The bottom line is I need my sleep and this stomach pain and the better half peacefully snoring beside me is just not helping.

I get up and go to the washroom. And oops! My chums have arrived a week before time and have decided to annoy me on my day of a lifetime! There goes my plan of wearing my beige suit tomorrow. I must hunt out a dark colored dress from my wardrobe. Well, I can’t stop the bleeding, but I can dull and lull the pain. So I pad up, pop a painkiller and go back to bed. The painkiller must have taken effect after a while, because the next thing I know is a deafening sound at my head,that jerks me out of what seems more like a trance than sleep.

Switching my alarm off, I enter the kitchen, all drowsy and dazed and start cooking. Today our daughter has a mini picnic at school and she had given me a list of items that she wanted to take. It ranges from home baked cake to home-made pasta. Why couldn’t she have asked for chips and chocolate? I need to cook lunch too for our daughter and the better half. I had wanted to brush up on the presentation before I leave for office, but now it seems unlikely that I will have time.

It’s time for our daughter to wake up, but she is still sleeping. I shout out, asking her to get up. There is no response. I go to her bedroom with the intention of shouting further and telling her that she needs to grow up to a responsible adult! I check myself. No I need to control my moods. I take a deep breath, paste a smile on my face and walk up to her and hug her. She feels warm. I touch her forehead, there is a fever running! Oh God! What do I do now? Before I can process this information in my head, she opens her eyes.
You have a fever Darling, I tell her. Stay back home today.
No Ma, she shrieks, I have a picnic I really really need to go. Pl….easee…!
I reason with her for a while, but then give in.

I have the pitch of a lifetime to deliver for the project of a lifetime. I cannot stay at home! Yesterday, we had received a phone call. My dad in law had fallen and was rushed to the hospital. My husband has to go to Kolkata. He got a ticket for a late-night flight today. And he has to go to the office to clear off a few things! So, he too cannot not stay at home.

Feeling like the cruelest mom ever, I feed her breakfast, give her a paracetamol, pack her food and drop her to the bus stop.

I start getting ready for office. It takes time to choose the dress. Since, my yesterday’s effort of keeping the clothes in order is rendered null and void (I cannot wear the beige “killer” suit) the next best option is to wear a dark saree. Saree needs accessories and I have no time now to get it all ready. I settle for a black salwar kameez. I am sort of happy with the overall look I achieve.

No sign of my maid yet. She usually comes in a lot earlier than this. Now, I start getting agitated. There is a pile of utensils in the sink, the house needs to be swept and mopped and I am getting late. I am all jittery, the throb in my stomach has come back and I keep screaming at the better half. My easy sounding board. He absorbs it all and offers to drop me to office.

The pitch of a lifetime is going good. The client seems happy and willing to fund the project of a lifetime. The boss is smiling too. And I am just waiting for the lunch break. It is 12:45, just 15 minutes to go. The client asks a question which I am too happy to answer. My phone vibrates and I just happen to look at it. Our daughter’s school. Oh God! Her fever has probably gone worse. My attention strayed for a bit and I continued answering the question. Well, its only 15 more minutes and I will call the school back. No catastrophe occurs in 15 minutes! The phone vibrates again and the school number flashes across the screen. Feeling like the cruelest mom for the second time today, I again ignore it.

Lunch break happens at 10 minutes past 1 and I go to the ladies’ room. I try calling the school. They tell me that our daughter’s fever is more than 100F and they ask me to take her home. I call the better half and he is already on the way to school. After they gave up on me, the school people called him. I smile or almost cry out in relief and the throb in my stomach is back! And the tap at the bottom is on full speed.

My day does not end here, there is a post lunch session, where we demo the other cool stuff we are doing for others, to the client. At least, my involvement is not 100pc in that session. Thank God for small mercies! So, I step out to call the better half. He is at the hospital with our daughter and they are waiting for the doctor. I go in again and the boss is eyeing me peculiarly. I figure out there is a topic that is being conversed on where I am needed. I enter the conversation mid-way and add my valuable inputs. The discussions linger, and I step out again. The boss tries to catch my eye and I royally ignore him. I call the better half again, and talk to our daughter too. She has chest infection and has been prescribed anti-biotics. They are home and she has eaten her lunch and taken medicines. I tell her to go to sleep and step back into the discussion.

It is evening and we are taking this great client out for dinner. My phone vibrates, it’s the better half calling. I pick it up.
When will you be home? he says. I need to leave for the airport in half an hour.
You carry on. I tell him. I have dinner with the client. I cannot come now.
Tell them your daughter is sick. He says. Just excuse yourself.
I will, I tell him. But I need half an hour. Give the phone to her.
Sweetheart, I have a client dinner, I tell our daughter. I will seat them all, order and then come back. You sure you will be fine?
I am fine Ma, says our daughter. You take your time. Finish and come. I will rest till then. And watch You tube.
Love you dear, I tell her. And hang up!

For the third time in the day, I feel like the cruelest mom! I thank electronics, I thank You tube and I thank my baby, (well technically a teen not a baby anymore) and I thank God. I go to the restaurant, sit down, make small talk and once I feel the party has warmed up, I stand up. I tell the client that our daughter has come back from school with a high fever and I need to go. I also tell my boss, in front of everyone that I will be working from home tomorrow. I smile thanks and a goodbye to all.

I collect my bag and start to leave. My boss follows me in the pretext of walking me to the elevator.
We have so much of work to be done tomorrow, we need to have the detailed project document to be sent to the client. How can you take off tomorrow?
The boss’ only contribution to my pitch of a lifetime for the project of a lifetime was ask me every two hours- Howz it going. I and my team have slogged it out and whether I am at office, at home or at Timbuctoo, I will ensure that the last cut is sent to the client by tomorrow. I have staked too much to let loose at this crucial point. I felt his question to be an affront! I swallow my instant anger. I put on the mask of non-chalance.
I am not taking an off, I am working from home, I say.
Yeah, but it would be good if you come.
I was too tired to argue. And I realized it was futile.
I will surely try, I tell him. And head towards the elevator.

I reach home and find our daughter curled up in bed with her loving I-pad. She is glued and does not notice my entry. I feel her forehead and she is startled. We hug and hold each other. We talk for about 10 minutes and I remember there are a ton of dirty utensils in the sink.

I go, change……the tap at the bottom is on full -speed. The throb in my stomach is on the rise. I pop another pain-killer, my third today and go to attack the dirty vessels.

I give our daughter some milk and biscuits and tell her to go sleep. By the time I am done with the day, its 11 pm. I hit the pillow and close my eyes. The ring of my phone jars me to attention. The better half has reached Kolkata. He spoke to the doctor about his father and they have decided to bring him to our home for treatment. We talk for about half an hour on his parents’ health. Of keeping a line in nurse. I talk to my mom-in law for another half hour. Its midnight now and I cannot keep my eyes open. It’s the painkiller I guess. Or is it the hectic day. I do not know! I re-set the alarm for tomorrow, to a later time than usual, almost grateful that the daughter is not going to school.

I lie back and close my eyes.

Epilogue: All days are not like this. Into this mix, you may throw in the unsupportive spouse, the critical and judgmental in-laws, the screaming, rude, unreasonable and dictatorial boss, unfriendly or political co-workers and sometimes your own insecurities. Some days, like the one in the story may seem heaven!