April 8. “Button, let’s play tug-of-war.”

“I’m game. Shall we form two teams?”

“Of-course. You, Mowgli, my elder daughter and Fluffy can form one team while me, Dost, my younger daughter, Rani and Preity can form the other.”

“Here’s the rope.”

“Is it strong enough?”

“It’s strong.”

“Now tie a ribbon in the centre.”

“Why?”

“How else will you figure out which side is winning?”

“Let Katrina be the referee and blow the whistle for the war to begin.”

Katrina blows on the whistle and the two teams tug and pull with Katrina cheering for Button’s team and my mother egging us on. After 10 minutes or so, the ribbon moves closer towards our team and then again we’re losing ground. The tug continues for a good 20 minutes after which Button slowly and steadily pulls the opponent to his side.

“Boy, you are strong.”

“We won. We won.”

“I know that. Congratulations.”

“I love outdoor recreation and I enjoy playing games like kho-kho, kabbadi and cricket. You had promised to teach me scrabble.”

“I’ll do that tomorrow. Make sure your vocabulary is good.”