One evening Pragnya came running to her mother Prathima screaming something with extreme excitement. Prathima, a VP at Sys software solutions had just came home tired after negotiating with Silk Board traffic. She was certainly in no mood to take Pragnyas tantrums this evening.
Pragnya however was quite relentless. She had got a question, her curiosity about the world had increased with her age. She kept asking Prathima, “ Amma why do you think earth is round? I have never seen where it bends, it is certainly flat! “
Surely not in a mood to answer, Prathima just didn’t know what to say. Then smartly she decided to delegate that work. She simply asked Alexa. Pragnya was excited how Alexa quickly gave her a tour of all NASA’s projects on the television and showed why earth is round.
Next evening it was the same. This time Pragnya wanted to know why she has black eyes while her friend Samanya had them blue. And Prathima this time clearly knew what to do, again Alexa came to her rescue. Prathima, a single working mother had suddenly found a part time baby sitter.
Pragnya had now become friends with Alexa, she could ask any question and Alexa would give her a comprehensive explanation without getting irritated. There was no jealousy or selfishness in their relationship either.
10 years later one evening, Pragnya who was now a teenage girl came home from school and as usual went into her room. She was in conversation with her friend on phone, so didn’t acknowledge her mother, Prathima standing to wish her on her 15th birthday.
A visibly worried Prathima then started asking Alexa on the whereabouts of her daughter and realised how good she has been all these years. No drugs, no alcohol, no boyfriends either. One can’t expect more from a daughter in India.
She then continued her conversation with Alexa and requested her to wish Pragnya on her birthday. Afterall Alexa was Prathima’s closest friend too, a companion who was always there to talk and support a single working Indian Mother!
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