July 2010
Sometimes, I try to brush up Nishka's knowledge of colors by showing her some pictures and asking her what colors are those. Once, as she was drawing something on her magnetic slate (you know its always black), just to test her, I pointed at her drawing and asked "Waav, the color in that picture is so nice. What color is it ?". Smart as she is, she nimbly responded "there is no color. Its black and white like a Police car".
Aug 9 2010 7 PM
On Aug 9 evening when Nim was on the phone with a friend and Rishma was sleeping in her room and Nishka was being the usual whirlwind, a fire-marshall, Joseph Serrao, visited our home to perform a safety inspection that had been long overdue after we had failed an earlier one a few months ago due to a couple of non-compliant smoke alarms. But he would never have prognosticated a drill master in 4 Yr 4 month young Nishka to ambush him on his mundane visit.
First of all when he entered our foyer wearing shoes, she lameted and that too in English, "Why is the police wearing shoe and coming inside our house. If he wears shoes, our house will become dirty and then germs will come in". I do not know what was going through his head but being an amiable man the Marshall maintained a smiley face.
After inspecting our attic and approving us there, he tested the smoke alarms, by pressing the alarm button on our master bedroom detector and consequently a shrill beep engulfed our house with the smoke alarms in other areas like the walkway and the second bedroom in which Rishma was sleeping resonating back since they were all hard wired. As the marshall prepared to enter the second bedroom where Rishma was sleeping, Nishka once again protested, "If you go inside, you will disturb my little sister who is sleeping there !" The marshall could not control his laughter and conceded that since smoke alarms in other rooms were functional, he would forego inspecting the one in the second bedroom since he didnot want to disturb the little one.Finally he certified our house security system and decided to leave before he got singled out by Nishka for something else. Just before he left I asked for his name so that if I didnot receive the pass certificate in a week , I could call and re-confirm with him.
He replied "Joe". Nishka thought he said "Jow". In Tulu Jow means girl. Immediately, even as Joe was walking down our foyer to the main door, she shouted in English "Why is his name Jow. He is a boy. Jow is a girl".
Joe apparently stayed resilient throughout his short ordeal, but if I do see Joe back at our house for inspection in the following years, I would be surprised, because braving an intimidating tootsie like Nishka is not for the pusillanimous. .
