Last night, I went to bed almost immediately after finishing yesterday’s blog.
For the first time in a while, I didn’t stay awake scrolling through my phone. I wanted a good night’s sleep because I had already planned my morning.
The plan was simple.
Wake up at 6:00 a.m., finish my workout at the gym, and be free by 7:00 a.m. so I could talk to my Pappa before she reached the office.
To be honest, I had missed her terribly the previous night.
No matter what I tried to focus on, my thoughts kept finding their way back to her.
So waking up early didn’t feel like a task—it felt like something I genuinely looked forward to.
I completed my workout as quickly as I could and waited for her call.
But…
The phone didn’t ring.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
My mind immediately started imagining the worst.
“What if something happened?”
“What if her family found out about us?”
The more I waited, the more nervous I became.
Finally, my phone rang.
It was her.
I answered almost instantly and asked what had happened.
She laughed softly and explained that she had forgotten to recharge her mobile plan. She had to return home, connect to the Wi-Fi, recharge her phone, and only then could she call me.
Only then did my heart finally relax.
Sometimes our imagination is far more dramatic than reality.
We spent the rest of her journey talking about random things, laughing together like we always do.
By the time she reached the office, my morning already felt complete.
After saying goodbye to her, I called my grandma. We spoke for a while before I returned to my room around 9:00 a.m.
I took a shower, got ready, and headed downstairs to begin another workday.
Usually, my breakfast is quite simple—watermelon and a chilled laban drink.
But today was different.
We ordered dosa.
It had been a while since I’d had one, and honestly, it tasted amazing.
After breakfast, I opened my laptop and got back to coding.
As the morning passed, I found myself waiting for lunchtime.
Not because I was hungry.
Because I knew that once my Pappa finished lunch, she’d call me.
When my phone finally rang, I happily stepped away to answer it.
But something felt different.
She wasn’t talking much.
She was with one of her colleagues, and our conversation felt shorter than usual.
At first, I misunderstood the situation.
I thought she was hesitating to talk to me because someone else was nearby.
I quietly became upset.
After ending the call, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
A little later, she texted me.
She apologized.
The moment I saw the word “sorry,” my heart sank.
I never want her to apologize to me unnecessarily.
To me, she’s my queen.
I don’t want our relationship to become one where we’re constantly saying sorry to each other.
So I asked her why she was apologizing.
That’s when she finally told me the truth.
She had already been feeling stressed because of work.
She had tried her best to sound cheerful during our call because she didn’t want her mood to affect mine.
The moment she said that, I realized how wrong my assumptions had been.
I had been thinking only from my perspective.
I hadn’t stopped to think about what she might have been going through.
I told her something I truly meant.
“Please don’t hide your feelings from me.”
“If you’re stressed, tell me.”
“If you’re having a bad day, tell me.”
“You don’t have to pretend everything is okay just to protect my mood.”
Because sometimes pretending everything is fine creates bigger misunderstandings than simply telling the truth.
We both apologized to each other.
A few minutes later, everything felt normal again.
In fact…
It felt even better than before.
Soon after, I had my lunch.
While I was eating, my Pappa sent me a few selfies.
I don’t know how to explain it.
I just sat there smiling at my phone.
Every time I see her, I wonder the same thing.
“How can someone be this beautiful?”
I often tell her how lucky she is to have me.
But if I’m being honest…
It’s the other way around.
I’m the lucky one.
The rest of the afternoon passed with work, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I was waiting for evening.
It reminded me of school days.
Do you remember watching the classroom clock, waiting for the final bell to ring?
That’s exactly how I was waiting for her call.
When it finally came, I answered with the biggest smile.
This time, she sounded much happier.
She told me something that made me smile even more.
She had managed to convince her parents to let her attend one of her colleague’s weddings on August 30th.
I was genuinely happy for her.
She has always been someone who rarely goes out with friends or joins trips.
So knowing that she’ll finally get to enjoy a day with her colleagues made me feel excited for her.
We kept talking until she reached her stop.
As usual, she called her brother to come and pick her up.
Once he arrived, we wished each other goodbye and ended the call.
I returned to my laptop and continued working on my tasks.
As I’m writing this, it’s 8:50 p.m. here in Dubai.
I still have a little work left to finish.
Once that’s done, I’ll head back to my room and sleep as early as I can.
Today’s emotions have left me more tired than the work itself.
Now I’m simply waiting for one last thing before I close my eyes.
My Pappa’s “Good night” message.
Maybe that’s the little child inside me.
The one who still feels safe after hearing a few comforting words from someone he loves.
After that, I finished fixing the remaining bugs and wrapped up all of today’s tasks.
Just as I was about to relax, my phone lit up with a message.
It was from my Pappa.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that little excitement whenever I see her name appear on my screen.
I immediately opened the chat with the biggest smile on my face.
For the next few minutes, we simply chatted. I replied to the funny reels she had shared with me, and we laughed over them together.
Sometimes, love isn’t always about long conversations.
Sometimes it’s just sharing a few reels, exchanging a few messages, and knowing that the other person thought of you.
Before we knew it, it was getting late.
It was already around 11:00 p.m. in India, and I reminded her that she had to wake up early for work the next morning.
So I told her, “Sleep soon.”
Before ending our conversation, I sent her one last message.
“Bye… Love you, Chella Kutty. ❤️”
She replied, and we wished each other good night.
Only after our chat ended did I realize how hungry I actually was.
Until then, I hadn’t even noticed it.
Now it’s 10:30 p.m. here in Dubai, and my stomach has finally started demanding attention.
So I ordered a plate of crispy dosa along with a fresh cup of milk tea.
Once the food arrives, I’ll enjoy my dinner, head back to bed, and get some much-needed rest.
Thank you for spending another day with me through these pages.
I’ll see you again tomorrow with another chapter of my Dubai diary.
Until then…
Good night, and take care. 🌙