“Mom, the girls loved the sevvai . Can you pack extra tomorrow?”

"Why is it in the fridge?" Aarav groaned, stumbling down the stairs in his school uniform, his tie hanging loose.

Kavita sat on the floor, sorting lentils for the next day. A grain of stone fell on the newspaper. She picked it up, tossed it into the dustbin, and looked at her family—loud, messy, chaotic, and completely inseparable.

For a brief, glorious moment, the house fell silent. Kavita looked around. The newspaper was scattered, a spoon lay in the puja thali, and water was dripping from the filter. She sighed—not with exhaustion, but with a strange, full-hearted satisfaction.

Kavita smiled and typed her reply: “Okay. Come home early. We have kheer for dessert tonight.”

Photo of an empty tiffin “Best idlis today, Mom. Swapnil tried to steal my chutney.”