Last night wasn’t an easy one.
Even after lying down, sleep refused to come.
My mind kept replaying everything that had happened the previous day. I kept asking myself the same questions over and over again, wondering if I had handled things the right way.
Eventually, sometime around 1:30 a.m., I finally fell asleep.
Even with very little rest, I woke up at 5:50 a.m.
I had already made a decision before getting out of bed.
I wasn’t going to bring up yesterday’s issue again.
Some conversations are better left behind once both hearts have understood each other.
I headed to the gym and ended up doing one of the toughest workouts I’ve had in weeks.
For some reason, I kept increasing the weights.
Maybe I was trying to exhaust my body because my mind refused to stay quiet.
After finishing my workout, I waited for the moment I look forward to every morning.
My Pappa’s call.
When she called, we spoke for a while.
The first thing she did was apologize again.
I gently told her,
“It’s okay, Pappa. Let’s not keep talking about it.”
She promised me that she’d be more careful in the future.
More importantly, she was feeling better, and her cough hadn’t become worse.
That itself made me feel relieved.
Slowly, the conversation became lighter.
We laughed, shared everything that had happened over the weekend, and before we realized it, she had already reached the office.
After wishing each other a good day, we ended the call.
I went for breakfast before returning to my room.
For a while, I simply lay on the bed, scrolling through a few reels and letting my body recover from the morning workout.
Soon it was time to get ready.
After taking a shower, I headed downstairs and began another busy workday.
As always, I found myself waiting for lunchtime.
Not because I was hungry.
Because lunchtime usually means another conversation with my Pappa.
Today, however, she had an unusually busy schedule.
She had several tasks to complete.
I asked if I could call her for a few minutes just so she could take a small break and relax.
She smiled and said she couldn’t because work was keeping her occupied.
I completely understood.
Sometimes the best way to care for someone is simply by giving them the space they need to finish what they’re doing.
Later, during lunch, we finally got a chance to talk.
She sounded a little stressed, so I simply told her,
“Don’t rush. Don’t panic. Just do one thing at a time.”
Sometimes we all need someone to remind us to breathe.
After our call, I joined one of my office meetings.
Once it was over, I ordered lunch and enjoyed a proper meal before getting back to work.
The afternoon passed quickly.
At one point, my Pappa sent me a message saying she had something important to tell me.
Immediately, my mind started imagining every possible situation.
I asked if everything was alright.
She reassured me that nothing serious had happened.
Then she simply told me,
“Remember these names… Vijay and Parthiban.”
That was all.
Naturally, my curiosity went into overdrive.
I spent the next few hours wondering what the story could possibly be.
By around 6:30 p.m., I reminded her to leave the office before the traffic became worse.
Since one of her colleagues was travelling with her, she couldn’t call me immediately.
So I waited until she reached her first stop.
As soon as she called, she explained everything.
Thankfully, it turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding and a rumour that had been spreading around.
Listening to her, I simply reminded her to be careful about whom she trusts.
Whether at work or anywhere else, misunderstandings often begin when people assume too much.
We spoke for a while, and by the time she reached her stop, it was time for her brother to come and pick her up.
Before ending the call, I reminded her to head home safely, have dinner, and not spend the evening worrying about unnecessary things.
She smiled and agreed.
Back on my side, I continued working.
Meanwhile, I put my clothes in the washing machine, returned to my room, played a few songs, and my roommate and I quietly continued our work.
Eventually, dinner arrived.
Today’s dinner was kothu parotta, and it tasted exactly like the comfort food I had been craving.
Later that evening, I asked my Pappa what she was doing.
She told me she was watching a series.
I smiled and told her to continue watching because I didn’t want to interrupt her relaxation time.
While she enjoyed her series, I collected my clothes from the washing machine, hung them out to dry, and finished the remaining office tasks.
As the night grew later, I reminded her that she had work the next morning and should probably get some sleep.
She wasn’t ready yet.
Instead, she started calling me by all my favourite nicknames—
“Chello…”
“Buji…”
And just like that…
I gave up trying to convince her.
Some battles are impossible to win.
A little while later, she finally messaged me saying she was heading to bed.
We exchanged our usual messages.
“Good night.”
“Love you.”
Those two words somehow make every long day feel complete.
Now it’s my turn to sleep.
Tomorrow is another day.
Another workout.
Another workday.
Another chance to hear her laugh.
Until then…
Good night, everyone.
See you in tomorrow’s diary. ❤️