A Piece of my mind..

"No, listen to me Rakesh, don't go.. it wont be good" , Mitti was pleading
He banged the door shut and walked down the lobby rolling up his sleeves and loosening his tie. He came up to the elevator and pressed the call button and waited for it tapping his feet restlessly and breathing heavily.

Fifteen minutes earlier.
He rang the door bell and waited. He could hear Ankur crying aloud.
"Wait, I think it is papa" he heard Mitti telling her son as the door knobs turned.
"Hi.." she said hurriedly as she unlatched the door and let him in.
She had knotted her dupatta across like dancers. She had an ice bag in her left .

"What happened?" he asked
"Oh, Ankur fell down.." she replied

at that very instant Ankur came running to him.. "Pappa.. " he cried.
"What happened son? Hurt yourself?" he asked
"mm.." tears were running down his cheeks. He had never seen his face that red as it was today.
He knelt down and pulled up his trousers. His knee was all bruised and bloody!

"How did it happen son?" he enquired his son.
"That Tanya pushed me pappa.." he cried.
"Why did she push you?"
"She asked for my car and I said I won't give. For that she pushed me pappa.." he cried again.

Ankur was inconsolable, he turned and looked at his wife who was busy in the kitchen.
"Mitti, how did this happen?" he asked her
"Arrey, such things happen yaar. chill out." she replied

"No, tell me how this happened?" he demanded
" well, I did not see exactly how, when I did see, he was on the floor crying "

"People don't know how to bring up their children." he spat
"what?" Mitti looked bewildered

"Dont' they teach them how to behave in public? Is there no decency left in this country?" he felt anger boiling in him.
"Chill down Rakesh, wash up and have dinner. We will talk about it later" replied Mitti

He was not listening. 'Ankur, is this Tanya a big girl or a small girl?"
"BIIIIG! ..." he replied looking up from his play doh set, opening his eyes wide and spreading his arms behind his back to show how big!

"I'm sick of bullies. They want to show their power only to small children." he was seething.
"Rakesh, I think you are over reacting." mitti joined.

"No Mitti, this is why bullies are having the upper hand today. This exact Chalega attitude is why the bullies get away with what they are doing. This is no less than ragging. A menace the society has to be rid of. I do not want my son to be a push over."

".. bullying children are so only because their parents. They have not been brought up right."

" Rakesh, will you listen to me for a moment.."
"No, you will methodically water me down and am not listening to you.. Just tell me their apartment number, I will deal with this myself.' he snapped at her.

"323, third floor'
"I know 323 comes in third floor" he snapped back at her

She thew her hands in the air and rolled her eyes and walked off to the kitchen

Now
"Ding" the lift chimed as it arrived
He rolled up his other sleeve again as it unfolded itself and impatiently banged the number '3' on the elevator.
It jerked as it slowly descended. He got off in the third floor banging the lift door shut. He stomped his way to the door 323 and rang the bell.

"Tanya, not now " he heard a female voice behind the door . Must be one trouble maker he thought to himself as he waited for the door to open.

The door opened and a young woman appeared. "yes" she asked enquiringly.

"I'm Rakesh Kapoor, Ankur's dad.. " he started
"Oh, welcome , welcome to our home.. " his sentence was cut short by the lady's excited reaction

She threw the door wide open and welcomed him in.
He gingerly stepped in and by that time she was already in the living room
"Please come in, have a seat, she said before running away"

he slowly stepped into the living room. It was well decorated, he slowly settled down on the sofa when she appeared with a tray and a glass of water in it.
She offered him the glass and he took it as she seated herself opposite to him and adjusted her Tee shirt
"I'm so sorry for what happened this afternoon, she started even before he could finish the sip of water he had taken"
"How is Ankur now? he was crying badly when I left Mitti and came down." her eyes were showing genuine concern.

"That's exactly what I came to talk about. Children must be taught restraint when they are playing you know..." he started off
"mm. I know, Tanya can get a bit aggressive.." she empathized with him

" I'm thanking that he got off with a small bruise, what if he had broken his arm?" he exhorted off her.
She was a bit stunned, but she recomposed herself and replied
"We were all only nearby Mr.Mookerjhea. We take good care of all the children around" she replied.

" no madam, children today grow up watching all sorts of silly heroic stuff on television and think they can try that on other children.."
" yeah, I agree, even Tanya's father has the same view.He even refuses to let her watch any channel but Ceebebies. you know" she replied

"mm.. but please tell your daughter that she cannot go pushing people around to get her way with things, I cannot tolerate my son getting injured.." he came to the point

"Oh, sure sir, I can understand your pain and am terribly sorry that Tanya has been the reason for this pain. I can understand a parent's helplessness that they could not prevent this from happening to their child, please excuse me this one instance, we will try our best to teach her these things. Her father feels its a bit too soon to teach her these things... "

"Children will be Children even after they are thirty madam, we have to start early else they will never learn" he cut her short

"I understand sir, I will definitely teach her not to do this again.." she was almost pleading now.

"Alright I'll leave now but please instruct your daughter well..." he said and got up
A loud crash interrupted them.
"Oh.. " yelped Tanya's mom and got up from her seat
"Tanya.. " she ran calling out her name and stopped after a few steps

Whirrrr.. a sound came as a baby appeared in a baby walker at full speed with a magazine dangling from her hands where two fingers were barely holding on to the mags. The little infant was charging at full speed at her mom and she literally had to jump out of her to avoid being run over by the baby walker.
"It hurts you know, these babies don't know when they run over our toes! " she said
"Tanya, you naughty girl, again pushed the magazine rack down?" she chided as she picked her up from the walker.
"Tell sorry to uncle here . See you pushed Ankur with the walker na. BHayya is still crying.. say sorry.." she chided the child!
The little infant gave them a large toothless smile and she held up her magazines for them to see. She was showing off her winnings!
He was stunned! He started laughing at the whole thing