Exams And Mango Juice

Nidhi was gazing at the sun rays through the long windows of her new home. It was mid of march, which usually marks the beginning of the summer days in India. Since Nidhi was residing in Manali, she was enjoying the pleasant weather, unlike others residing in other parts of the country. 

She was basically a native of Gujrat, residing in Manali with her husband and an eleven-year-old daughter. Her husband was a hotel manager and was in a very prestigious position. Her daughter Divya was attending online classes for her school during this covid-19 pandemic. Her daughter's final exams were going on at that time. While sitting near the window, Nidhi was trying to compare her exam days with that of Divya's. She was recollecting her childhood memories of how she was enjoying her school days, attending classes physically, and going to school for exams. She closed her eyes and was deeply lost in her memories. 

 "Maa, keep my mango juice ready when I am back from the school", commanded little Nidhi to her mother. "Yes, definitely I will keep a glass of juice. But you promise me that you will do well in your exam papers, " replied her mother. Nidhi grinned at her mother's word and left for the school. Nidhi's school was within a walkable distance. She would go by walk to her school. Rarely she would get some friends while walking on her way, as most of her friends prefer cycling rather than walking, for school. Within 15 minutes, she reached her school. She never carries any book during examination for any kind of revision work like other students do, before appearing for the exam. She would be always in a hurry to finish her exam papers before the scheduled. "How was your exam paper?... What was your answer to question 4?......", one of her friends asked her after the exam. Nidhi replied very casually, "It was good. I will talk to you later. I am going home now. Bye...". Then she left for her home. She reached home and went directly to her mother. She was sweating profusely after having a walk in the scorching heat. "Maa, is my mango juice ready?", little Nidhi asked her mother. Looking at Nidhi's condition, without asking anything regarding the exam papers, her mother directly handed over the glass to Nidhi. She gulped the entire juice in one go. A sense of satisfaction and relief was clearly visible on her face. She went to her room and closed her eyes for relaxation.

Suddenly, someone called her, as if dragging her out of her dream. "Mom, my exam is over. Give me something to eat. I am feeling hungry", screamed her daughter Divya out of hunger. Nidhi opened her eyes and came out of her childhood memories. She felt as if she went to her childhood days on a time machine. She realized that there have been a lot of differences between her childhood days and her daughter's childhood days. The fun of having mango juice after coming from the exam, during summer days, will never be observed by her daughter if the current pandemic situation continues. A sense of little grief for Divya was clearly observed on Nidhi's face. When this pandemic was going to over was a difficult question to answer for anyone. Now there will be hardly any combination between the Exam and mango juice. Children cannot enjoy these moments by just sitting in front of these digital devices. With all these feelings in her heart, Nidhi went into the kitchen for preparing snacks for her daughter.