Trin Trin - the cycles are here!

The last 3 weeks have been exciting for us while the kids scaled a new peak in terms of how much they wait to get something. Every morning when they wake up, the first words they speak are"there are only x days remaining now to get the cycle". Both have been extra nice to me the last few weeks and I have been showered with above average number of hugs & kisses from them. Usually when there is a discussion in the house, the kids typically side Veena since I'm the only boy in the house. That has changed in the last 3 weeks as well.

While the diligent Neha waited by counting the pending days in a sheet & ticking them (and even signing against them :-)) for the last few days, the dreamer nidhi chose to put her vision on a piece of paper. Check out the snaps below.

After their long wait, they got their cycles last Saturday. Nidhi chose a pink one while Neha picked a red one. Over the weekend, they probably have clocked about 7 or 8 hours riding them. Nidhi, as promised, gave rides to her friends and even shared with them. Neha too shared the cycle with their best friend Kruthi. Kruthi was the proud owner of a small cycle all these days that neha & nidhi would beg her for a ride unsuccessfully. She swelled with sorrow on seeing that everyone has a cycle that is bigger than hers. She wept and convinced her parents to get her a new one next week. Now a similar story will unfold in the neighbors' house

Road to Cycle

Two months back, after growing taller consistently for a while, kids got tired of their three wheel cycles. They were embarrassed as well to take it down and pedal in front of their friends. The desire for a regular cycle grew in them. The desire turned into a need when most of their friends in the apartment bought cycles. They started demanding for one each. They were very clear about not sharing a single cycle between them since the outset.

For a year now, I had been collecting coins in a mud "hundi" (bought in kadlekayi parshe). The idea was to help kids learn the value of saving. I had been putting coins in there mostly myself till this time. I thought this was a good time to teach them again, to save. I told that it'll cost about 6000 rupees for two cycles and so if both start putting coins into the hundi, it'll be full by their next birthday (April) and I'll buy them then. They argued and bargained on an earlier date and so December holidays was fixed as the time.

The last two months, they have been scrounging for coins everywhere. My bag pockets after I return home, dakshina given with kosambari in ganesha and dasara festivals... They would pocket the coins I leave as tips in a restaurant and tell me to put a note instead. They managed to fill the pot about 3/4ths till last Saturday. Then their patience ran out and they were pretty desperate to know how much has been collected so far. I was empathetic to their situation and we together broke the hundi and counted all the coins. It added upto 1700. I told kids that I'll put the remaining money and buy them the cycles in December. They bargained with me again and pulled in the date to 1st December. Now the count down has started 29 days, 28 days...

They have new found energy about the cycles now. Neha wants me to get the cycle over the night and surprise her on 1st when she wakes up. Nidhi, being the DVS Karna* that she is, is already promising free rides on her cycle to her friends.

* DVS Karna = Dhana Veera Shura Karna