MayRa OS Series- Boss Baby (Completed on page 12)

#1. Nailing it!

I looked at my 7-year-old Risha, whose frown could rival Maya’s. Her tongue peeked out of her lips and eyes scrunched, exactly like Maya’s as she ran the crayon stick across her book.

“Rishu, what are you doing?” I sat beside her on the floor and touched her forehead to check her temperature. Though she looked like her mother, she had a streak of getting into trouble from yours truly, and last night, it rained out of blue and neither of us realized when she sneaked out of the house and got wet in the rain. We were occupied, you see, the weather was too romantic.

“Dadda, bored!” She snuggled into my arms and made a puppy face.

“Let’s go to meet Nanu, naa,” She whined in my lap. Maya was helping Nandini Maa pack for her pilgrimage trip.

“You are grounded, baby,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. After she caught a cold last night, Maya grounded her, and me, no sex for another week, no thank you very much!

“Can I call Rajeev mamu then?” If Risha loved anyone in this universe more than Maya and me, it was Rajeev. He was her godfather and pampered her like she was a baby, and she could wiggle gifts out of him as if it was a child’s play (sorry for the pun)

“Nope, rule number three of grounding, no Rajeev Mamu,” She frowned and rested her head on my chest.

“Then can we at least play makeover?”

I raised my eyebrows at her, but before I could say anything, she ran upstairs and, in a few minutes, plonked her bag in front of me.

“Is this a gift from Rajeev?” I asked. Rajeev’s partner was in the U.K and would send in gifts for the three of us, but most of them were for Risha.

“Yup,” She popped the ‘p’ and opened the bag to reveal dozens of clips, nail paint bottles, bracelets, neckpieces that were of every color imaginable.

“Hello mam, how can I help you?” She said in a high-pitched noise, maybe trying to imitate Maya’s beautician.

“Mam?”

“Do boys use clips? You are so silly, Dadda,” She giggled.

I raised my eyebrows, wanting to unteach her this gender stereotyping, but she sniffled a sneeze and I decided against it. Maybe another time.

“I would like a hair-do and my nails, please,” I overdid my high pitch and she laughed. Happiness bubbled up inside me and I smiled softly, but Risha missed the smile and started using the clips on my hair.

“Now the nails,” She said and lifted a few nail-paint bottles in her hands.

“The blue one,” I pointed at the bottle and my blue shirt. She nodded and unscrewed the bottle. She painted my nails, as neatly as a seven-year-old. She waited for them to dry, and applied the second coat followed by the protective layer and looked at me, pleased with herself.

My nails were now colored in sky blue, and to my surprise, they were done very well and were looking good.

“I am very impressed, miss Rish,” I appreciated them, forgetting my high tone voice.

“Why thank you,” She replied, playing along.

“Sorry, I am late,” We turned to look at Maya, who stepped in the house and stared at me, the clips sticking out of my hair in horror and then burst out laughing.

“Baby, where is your Dadda?” She laughed as Risha ran to her.

“Mumma, you are so mean,” Risha joined in her laughter.

“Let’s click a selfie and send Rajeev Mamu and Nanu,” She said and she dug in Maya’s bag for her phone. I walked up to them and kissed Maya and we clicked a few pictures.

“You look amazing,” “I have the best beautician,” I smiled at Maya who kissed my cheek and went to change.

The next day, everyone tried to have a glimpse of my nails and my assistant was thrown off guard when she realized that a 7-year-old had done my nails.