7 Day Writing Challenge: Mom On Duty

The light entering through the window of Adya's room disturbed her dreamy sleep. She turned to the other side, covering his face with her blanket. Mumma, mumma, Ruhi called her. And the most annoying sound of the day, the alarm started ringing.  

Adya, being a single mom, works religiously to give her daughter Ruhi the best life without any regret or remorse. She is on her toes to fulfill what she and Ruhi plan for their lives. But today was a Sunday, so Adya was reluctant to wake up at her usual time. Ruhi, a five-year-old girl, was ready to shed her first milk tooth. She saw Adya not attending her. Ruhi started jumping on the bed, shouting, "Mom, Mom, see my tooth is out now."

Hearing this, Adya woke up with a jolt. She took Ruhi in her arms and caressed her, asking, "Did it hurt when it detached?" Ruhi could see a sense of worry in her mother's eyes and could not take it. She got up from her lap and giggled. Ruhi said, "Oh! My mellow-dramatic mother, I am a big girl now. I do not feel pain. I am fine."

Adya took a sigh of relief. She asked Ruhi, "OK, tell me, how did it detach? Did you try to pull it out?" Stealing a glance from Adya, Ruhi said, "Why would I do that? It came out itself." Adya understood that Ruhi did it deliberately as she had been uncomfortable for the past few days due to a wobbling tooth. Adya pulled Ruhi towards her and hugged her. 

The mother-daughter duo had a merry time. Adya knew Ruhi loved sharing her things with her. She asked her like a curious baby, "So, will you show mumma your broken tooth?" Ruhi handed her tooth to her Mom and asked, "What will we do with this?" Adya told Ruhi about the tooth fairy who would take the broken tooth in return for the gift. They discussed the gift that Ruhi wanted in return for her tooth.

After chit-chat, both got out of bed to get ready. Adya and Ruhi got freshened up, and Adya took Ruhi to bathe and tidied up like a doll. She captured Ruhi's photo with a smile without one tooth she lost that day for the memory. Adya prepared breakfast and laid it on the dining table. Today's breakfast had to be soft so Ruhi could eat, as she was not habitual of eating with her missing tooth. After breakfast, Ruhi took her art book and colors to paint a fairy in her drawing book, and Adya started reading the newspaper in the drawing room.

While reading, Adya opened the page that presented the horoscope and thought to read hers to find what mystery unfolds. Jumping straight to Libra, she read: Today is a good day to go shopping. Your lucky number is 5. Your fortune lies in wearing an olive color.

Adya did not complete the horoscope after it and stood from the couch, asking Ruhi to get ready as they had to go shopping. Ruhi got excited and jumped at her place. She ran to her cupboard to find a pink dress for an outing. Adya chose her olive color knee-length dress as per the horoscope declared. She applied lipstick and Kohl in the name of makeup but looked as elegant as someone who might use full-course cosmetics.

Within half an hour, they were on the road in their car, driving to the mall to explore different brands. Shopping always elated both of them. Sometimes, they would spend even when there is no sale, and today was one such day. After all, Adya's horoscope declared today was a fine day for shopping. While exploring shops, Adya remembered taking Ruhi's gift they discussed in the morning in exchange for Ruhi's missing tooth. Adya wanted to keep it a surprise and let Ruhi believe the tooth fairy left that for Ruhi, so she left Ruhi in the kid's zone for a while and went to Hamley's to get the Barbie kit that Ruhi wanted. 

Adya got it packed and requested them to conceal it in a closed bag so that Ruhi would not know about it. She returned to the kid's zone to get Ruhi and went to Haldiram's to grab a bite. They ordered Chole Bhature, Samosa, and Cold Coffee. Adya paid at the bill counter and handed the slips to various counters for their order. After receiving their food, they took a seat of two and ate silently. 

Feeling full and tired, they decided to head back home. Ruhi fell asleep in the car while on the way to home. Adya held Ruhi in her arms without disturbing her sleep. She opened the door lock with her key, took Ruhi to her room, and laid her on the bed. Ruhi was not feeling sleepy. She went to the drawing room and rested on the couch, scrolling reels on Instagram. After two hours, Ruhi woke up and asked Adya for milk and a biscuit. Adya, within no time, got Ruhi her evening snack and started preparing for dinner.

By 7:30, Adya arranged dinner on the dining table. Adya and Ruhi ate silently and went to bed. Tonight was special as Ruhi had a broken tooth for which she would receive a gift from the fairy. Ruhi held her tooth and prayed by closing her eyes, requesting to get a Barbie kit. She kept her tooth under her pillow and slept.

Ruhi could not hold her excitement and woke up even before the alarm rang and checked under her pillow if her tooth was there. Before she could check, she saw a dazzling pink gift pack on the side table and opened it. Mom, Mom, see what I got. Adya already understood what it was, but she showed amazement so Ruhi would not know where it came from. Adya checked under her pillow, and there was no sign of her tooth.