“Ankur, where is my English Reader?” implored his sister Jaya. “Have you tucked it away in your school bag by mistake?”
“Stop being silly, Jaya!” Ankur hissed. “It’s high time you stop accusing me for everything.”
“Only last week, you pinched my favourite storybook!” Jaya retorted.
“Who? Me? I found it on top of the washing machine.”
Dad stomped into the room. “I put my pair of socks on top of the TV set,” he growled. “Now where are they?”
“What do you think I’ve done to them?” asked mum angrily.
“Dad, stop blaming mum all the time,” said Jaya, Ankur has also picked up this infectious disease from you.”
“Here are your socks,” said mum, as she lifted a magazine. “By the way, Jaya, were you the one who ate all the puris I’d made for lunch?”
“Mum, I was on your side … and now you’re accusing me...”
The culprit
“Look, it’s Bow Wow,” said dad pointing to the dog wolfing down the last of the puris. “He’s benefited from our blame games.”
“Didn’t you lose your glasses last week and blame me for hiding it?” said Ankur to his sister.
“I found the specs inside the microwave oven!” dad laughed.
“You must have put it there in your absent-minded way,” Jaya shot back.
“Do you know what happened to my mobile phone?” sighed mum. “Dad tried to test its strength by placing it under the tyre of our car!”
“Of course, I didn’t!” protested dad. “I was searching for the keys.”
Later that morning, Ankur poked his head out of the wash room.
“Hey, who took my underpants from the door?” he yelled. “Jaya, was it you?”
“Oh, was it yours?” asked dad happily. “My plan worked brilliantly.”
Found them!
Bow Wow wandered up, wagging his tail. Ankur’s underpants were wrapped around his belly.
Dad had tied them around Bow Wow’s waist. “See! He didn’t wet the floor at all!” he said triumphantly.
“How thoughtful!” smiled mum. “I don’t have to mop the floor any more.”
“Fine!” screamed Ankur, “Dad, use your underpants next time. Not mine!”
“Oh, how wonderful!” exclaimed Jaya, “Dad has not blamed anyone. He has even confessed on his own.”
“Thank you, dad,” smiled Ankur. “For putting on brakes to our blame games.”
“Let us all take a vow!” suggested dad softly, “to never blame each other again!”
Mum, Jaya, and Ankur smiled and agreed.
