A Plate of Maggi

Sonu eagerly waited for the school bell to ring. The whole day, she had been fidgeting around and thinking of the evening. As soon as the bell rang, she was the first one out of the classroom and into the school bus. The journey, which took no longer than 15 minutes, seemed to go on and on today. “I’ll ask di today. There’s no way she’ll say no,” she thought to herself.

As she stepped off the bus, she didn’t go inside the gate of her house. Instead, she walked confidently to the playground opposite the gate. A familiar face was waiting for her.

“Di!” she screamed as she ran towards the taller girl waiting quietly for her under a tree in the park. Cheena di smiled broadly and stood up, opening her arms for Sonu to run into. Cheena di was almost ten years old – double the age of Sonu, but the two of them were still very close to each other.

As they sat down under the shade of the large tree, Sonu talked in a rushed voice about her day in school. They had started learning how to read words, and Sonu was sure that soon she would be able to read the headlines in the newspaper – just like her mother and father did when they sat in the verandah of the house.

Cheena di listened to her, smiling gently and asking questions in between. She didn’t tell much about her own day; but then, Cheena di was usually very quiet.

When Sonu finally finished talking about her day, the two girls got up to play. They both sat in the merry-go-round for a while, and then Sonu sat on the swing as Cheena di helped her push it. They chased each other across the ground, laughing every time one caught the other.

When both were quite tired, Cheena di said “Come on. I think it’s time to go home.” She went to pick up Sonu’s bag, but the younger girl whisked it up with a mischievous smile before she could reach it. Rolling her eyes, Cheena di held out her hand and the two crossed the road towards the gate in front.

As Cheena di opened the gate and gestured for her to go inside, Sonu wondered if this was the right moment to ask her. She had been holding it in for so long that she felt like she would burst if she didn’t say it now.

“Di, please come and eat with us,” she said quickly. Even as she said it, Sonu saw Cheena di’s smile drop a little. Sonu had been asking her this question almost every other day for a while now. But each time, di would smile and shake her head. And then, just as softly, she would make her way to the side of the house where another smaller house stood – the home where Cheena di’s family lived.

Cheena di’s father was the gardener at Sonu’s house, and he and his family had lived beside the larger house since before Sonu was born. Sonu was extremely close to all of them, and spent many evenings eating dinner at their house. But she had noticed that they never came over and ate at Sonu’s house with her parents. Ever since she realized this, she had been after Cheena di to come over for dinner, and each time, she had smiled and refused.

But not today, Sonu thought. Just as she saw Cheena di about to shake her head, she caught the older girl’s hand and said, “Mummy’s making Maggi today!”

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Cheena di said, “That’s your favourite, isn’t it?”

Nodding excitedly, she held onto di’s hand firmly and said, “It’s my absolute favourite food and I would love to have it with you! I asked Mummy and even she said it was okay. Please come. Please! Please! Please!”

It took a while, but finally the older girl gave in. Sighing softly, she nodded her head, smiling a little nervously. Sonu, on the other hand, confidently led the way into the house, announcing loudly to her mother that they were home, shouting “Maggi Maggi Maggi!”

Her mother smiled warmly at them from the dining room. “Calm down. It’s getting ready. Go put your bag in your room first. And wash your face. How much did you run around? You’ve tired Cheena out completely!” she admonished softly.

Sonu ran into her room to follow the instructions while Cheena di and her mother spoke softly in the kitchen. Her mother had known Cheena since she was born, and was quite fond of the girl. She often spoke about how hard-working Cheena was and how much she helped around the house, especially on days when Sonu didn’t feel like doing any of her chores.

When she got back to the kitchen, her mother was just taking out the two plates of Maggi. Inhaling the smell deeply, the little girl’s smile got wider as the other two shook their heads in amusement. Sonu gave one plate to Cheena di, picked up the other plate and walked out into the dining room. Placing her plate on the table, she hopped onto a chair, and started swirling the Maggi around with her fork. She was almost about the take the first bite when she noticed that Cheena di wasn’t next to her. Looking around confusedly, she turned behind to find di leaning against the wall and sitting cross-legged on the floor, with her plate on her lap.

Blinking in confusion, Sonu spoke out. “Di, why are you sitting there?”

Cheena di just smiled softly and replied, “I’m fine here.”

That didn’t sound like a reason. Scrunching her eyebrows, Sonu shook her head slowly. “Please come and sit with me at the table.”

Di also shook her head, the soft smile never leaving her face. “It’s fine. I’m okay here.”

Sonu turned towards her mother, who had been quietly watching the exchange, with a strange expression in her eyes. “Mummy…” she said, sure that her mother would intervene.

Her mother stood quietly for a few seconds, as if thinking of what to say. Finally, she said in a voice as soft as Cheena di’s, “Eat your food, Sonu.”

“But…” Sonu began to argue.

“Start eating. Your Maggi is getting cold,” was all her mother said, before walking back towards the kitchen.

But in that moment, Sonu didn’t care about the Maggi getting cold. She stared vacantly at the spot where her mother had been standing, trying to understand what was going on. Whenever guests came home for dinner, they always sat with the family at the table. Mummy would never have allowed them to sit on the floor and eat. So why was she letting Cheena di sit on the floor? This didn’t feel right.

She turned back to look at Cheena di, who had quietly started eating her food, her eyes fixed on her plate. There was something strange going on. Something that Cheena di understood, mummy understood, but Sonu did not. For several seconds, Sonu sat there and stared, fork in her hand, mouth a little open, lost in thought.

Finally, she came to a decision. She had invited Cheena di over because she wanted to eat her favourite food with her favourite person. And that’s what she was going to do. Getting off the chair, Sonu picked up her own plate of Maggi, sat down on the floor next to Cheena di, and started to eat.