I wanted to pen down my memories of living in New Jersey with Lekha, while Leo was still working in IN. I am sure that in time these memories might fade away and I wanted to record them while they were still fresh in my mind.
When I first came to NJ I was excited and nervous and scared and really overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of responsibilities on my shoulder. A new job after staying at home for a year, felt like getting a job for the very first time. But I had to do it for my own sanity as well as for the financial security of our family. Lekha was an absolute trooper. She has adjusted well to all the inconveniences that came out of being in this limbo situation where I could neither give her all the comforts of home nor be able to take comfort in the confident knowledge that this was just a temporary situation. She adjusted beautifully to the new day care center and made new friends and has been a happy child. Her first teacher here was Ms. Marylynn and then she joined the bigger kids in Ms. Christine’s class. She also was taken care of by Ms. Subha and Ms. Shilpa. She would tell me the names of her buddies in class: “Julia(Chewia), Ananya(Anayya), Connor, Tyler(Tyer)
The down side was that Lekha was missing her dad so much I could see it in her eyes. It was not an open display of tears and tantrums, rather a quiet resignation and dejected acceptance that broke my heart. She has also been a very spirited and feisty one and often, I regret to think back now, I have lost my temper and resorted to harsh disciplining and even in some worst cases giving her a sharp tap on her hand or feet. When she bursts out into tears at that, I have often felt like the worst mom in history and I just spend so much time that night kissing her and apologizing to her when she sleeps.
But I do feel that I have evolved as a much better and very patient mom and a stronger woman. I feel that this experience has given me some invaluable lessons in life. I am so proud of what I have been able to go through and I feel like the joy we look forward to now with me getting a job in IN and us being able to be together as a family, would not have been as sweet if it hadn’t been preceded by such trying times. Moreover, I cannot forget that this new job opportunity in Indiana would not have even been offered to me had I not been working at the time.
I missed my husband so much. I had my precious Lekha to hold on to, but he on the other hand was all alone by himself. It pained me to think how much he hated going back every time he visited us. There have been times when we were on the phone and Lekha would say something cute like “I love you!” at which he would just tear up and choke and would hang up ‘cause he can’t go on.
I cannot miss to mention about the inception of Sleek Fashions. Priya and I were bouncing off ideas just for the heck of it. (Who doesn’t want to be their own boss, especially after my experience in NJ) And one thing led to another and before we knew it, here we are on the verge of launching our very own business. The website is 99% ready and the shipment is (hopefully) on the way.
The last six months have certainly been a very eventful period in my life. But Lekha and I can’t wait to get back to the most awesome man in the world.
