Tooth Fairy & the Tooth Devil

Lil daughter lost her 5th teeth. She is cool about it now. Busy trying to lose one more so that she can catch up with the topper. I remember the time she lost the first one..
Pizza hut. Tooth has been wobbling for weeks. She is worried. Will it fall out? Will it be painful? I offer to pull it out. Wrong move. Burst into tears and jumps into Mummy's lap. Beta, take a bite. Says mummy. Hard stuff - courtesy Pizza Hut. Yow!! More howls. Wheres the tooth ! WHERE IS MY TOOTH!!! Tooth is missing. Mummy finds it. Looks like a pearl. A little bit of blood. Lil is shattered.
I tell her about tooth fairy. about pillows and magic in the night. she listens. Will she come tonight?
Ouch, wrong move, shops are closed!! No dumma, you have to email her. (yeah, yeah). Mail address is toothfairy@toothfairy.com. Night, she mails with mummys help. Methinks, I'll delete the bounce later, and get her something tomorrow.
Wonders!! There IS a tooth fairy. ( all domain names are registered, including tooth fairy!!)She replies - Congrats, etc etc. and Have a sugar free day!!
I look like a fool. I payout, she gets the credit.
5 gifts later...........
She is NOT brushing her teeth. Bad. Threats dont work. Girls usually get their way.
Enter tooth Devil. Bad guy. If the tooth caries, he comes. In the night. What about the gift - dumma asks suspiciously. No Gifts - all knowing papa replies. Only spiders, frog legs, coakroaches, snakes ( small ones only) get left under the pillow.
No problems with teeth brushing now. Till she figures out......

Cycling thrills

For the last few days I am struggling to teach my lil daughter cycling. Bent double, sweating, panting and running, trying to keep the vehicle going with just the right amount of support, that she gets going on her own. It doesnt help that I am woefully out of shape. But I am PAPA, the MAN, and she trusts me. Dont let go, papa.
I take sips of water, and sit down. She sits with me and asks - am I doing OK? Yeah, you are getting better. Better Better? or Just better?. Better Better. She is happy. Next round...
5 days. She is getting the hang of it. I dont have to bend now. Just light pressure on the handle.
Then she says - let go papa, just run along. I run along - she is OK. Bit unsteady and wobbly, but fine.
Another 1 day, and she gets irritated when i run beside her. She cycles off, far off, then wheels around - victorious. Its time to let go.
I have done many things at my workplace which gave me satisfaction. But this is something else...way beyond. I am not going to forget this day.

Time to move...

Its been a long time, 10 years, working at one place. And its time to move. Why? Isnt the pay good? Hasnt your family grown roots? Isnt the workplace great? Yes, Yes and Yes.
But sometimes the feeling comes - is this all there is to it? Am I missing out on an experience some where, some other country or city.
And then you invent all sorts of excuses, trying to justify the move in concrete terms.
But thats not it, actually.
Its just a wanderlust..
The late 30's - the best of times, and the worst of times - time is running out, the cub is growing up and maybe tomorrow will be too late.
And you see Sachin Tendulkar struggling for his 100, and you remember a time in Sharjah he had walked out not long ago and smashed the aussies to bits, and you think - he is my generation, he is slowing down, tomorrow will be my turn.