An ‘eggs’traordinary Easter

“Don’t forget to bring your eggs on Monday,” said Ms Sandhya. “If each of you brings even a few, we should have enough for the less-privileged people in this area. Make your eggs as attractive as possible.” She smiled at Rahul. “Your Nowruz eggs looked too good to eat,” she said warmly. “I’m sure your Easter eggs will be just as remarkable.”

“I hoped we had finished with this egg business in March,” muttered Rahul to Arun, as the teacher left.

Arun stared at his friend in surprise. “I thought you enjoyed decorating those Nowruz eggs,” he said. “Anyway, as you know, it is the policy of our school to observe every festival. Not a bad idea, if you ask me,” continued Arun cheerfully. “We had delicious treats at Eid and Ugadi, and a lot of fun during Holi.”

Seeing Rahul’s gloomy expression, Arun went on, “As you know, I’ll be out of town over the long weekend, but meanwhile, if there is anything I can do...” Arun paused, then added gently, “I know how anxious you are about your mother. My parents, sister and I are praying for her.”

“Thanks, Arun,” said Rahul gratefully. “Have a great holiday!”

“Happy Easter in advance!” said Arun, as he waved goodbye. “Your eggs are sure to be the best. You are an amazing artist.”

Back home, Rahul threw himself on his bed. At Nowruz, his mother had presented him with six perfectly boiled eggs, and all he had to do was paint them. Not long after, she had taken ill and been rushed to hospital. She had been there for eight days, growing steadily weaker, but the doctors seemed unable to find out what was wrong. A distant relative had grudgingly offered to help out at home. She turned out unpalatable meals, and Rahul and his father suffered in silence. If they complained, the grim-faced lady might walk out in a huff. Then they would have to depend on takeaways, something they could not afford with mounting medical bills.

Since Alice aunty made everything she did seem like a distasteful duty, Rahul could not enlist her help with the eggs. Aware that both she and his father would be away on the evening of Easter Sunday, Rahul decided to boil the eggs in their absence. He vaguely recalled his mother’s handling of the task and believed he could manage by himself.

When the moment came, however, nothing went right. As Rahul slipped the eggs into hot water, their shells split. Too late, he remembered that his mother used to put in some salt so that, if cracks occurred, the egg whites would coagulate quickly instead of leaking out.

When Rahul finally got the pan off the stove, he fought back tears; his eggs were a mess. He had no chance to experiment further, as his aunt returned earlier than expected. “I’m back from my prayer meeting,” she announced in a virtuous tone. It struck Rahul that, while Alice aunty was extremely religious, she was not one bit kind. Before she could enter the kitchen, Rahul ran to his room with the eggs, which were clearly in no fit state to be painted.

This was a bitter blow to the boy, who had looked forward to adorning his eggs with imaginative designs. On Monday, he watched sadly as colourful creations, starred, striped and speckled, were displayed. “Show us your eggs, Rahul,” said Ameena eagerly, as the children crowded round him. When Ms Sandhya removed the cloth that covered Rahul’s basket, there was a stunned silence.

The teacher suddenly remembered hearing about Rahul’s mother and blamed herself for being remiss. Forestalling caustic comments, she addressed the class. “Rahul’s flawed eggs are as beautiful as any of yours,” she declared firmly. “All of you had assistance, but Rahul managed alone. We must appreciate his efforts.”

Later that day, when Rahul and his father went to the hospital, they were delighted to learn that a specialist had arrived at a diagnosis. His mother could be discharged soon, but she would have to follow a strict diet. “No eggs,” she said, grinning mischievously. Realising that she had heard about his culinary misadventure, Rahul chuckled. “Some eggs are good for health, Mummy,” he said. “Sandhya ma’am says that Easter eggs represent renewal. For our family,” he concluded happily, “this season marks a bright beginning!”