Birthday Next-door
Rama Adhikari “Auntie, what’s that you are doing?” “Auntie, you work so hard, don’t you?” “Auntie, may I help you?” “Auntie, today I saw another Auntie just like you at the school.” Sandesh was uttering many sentences in sequence, trying to draw the attention of Sabina. Sabina would, however, give no heed to Sandesh. She was busy cooking. Sandesh and Aakash—Sabina’s son—were in the second grade at the same school. They were neighbors. They walked to school and back home together, and during leisure, played together in the neighborhood. However, for some days in the recent time, Sandesh had been visiting Aakash’s more often than usual. As soon as he reached home from school, he would throw his bag in the living room and rush towards Aakash’s. He would care little to have snacks, sit for study or complete homework. Sandesh’s father was worried to see this strange change in his son’s behavior. He tried to convince his son to stop making such frequent and l