Summer afternoon memories.

Often during hot and uncomfortable summer afternoons at the hostel I think about how magical these afternoons used to be back when I was in school and still lived at home.

I remember how mad my mom used to get when it was July and schools were still on. She thought it was inhumane to ask children to go to school when it was that hot. At off time, she'd send the driver with a thermos full of ice cold Rooh Afza/ Jaam e shireen, and flipflops for us to change into so that we could cool off our feet in the car.
As soon as we got home, she would rush us to her room which she'd keep fully air conditioned for us. Food would come in minutes, while we washed our faces and hands. Garam home made roti and home made saalan. Often she would feed it to us with her own hands while we watched the Flintstones, the Jetsons or the Power puff girls. Fruits came next. Mangoes, plums, watermelons and the like. Feeling heavy, happy and sleepy we'd insist on going to sleep in our uniforms. But she would make us change. We rarely won that argument. After that, she'd turn the lights off and we would doze off into a deep exhausted sleep, while she went about the house doing what she did. More supermom stuff.

I guess I miss my mom.