In the beginning of summer this year, my husband Sanjiv and I took my father to Select Citywalk. We looked at air conditioners, while my father, Anna, took a short walk around the mall. As we exited Croma, facing Krispy Kreme, I asked Anna what he would like to eat – a Rava Masala Dosai at Sarvana Bhavan or a coffee and doughnut at Krispy Kreme. I should have known better than to ask that question!
Anna: “Rava Masala Dosai, and coffee.”
We make our way to Sarvana Bhavan (that he does not remember from our last visit there in winter), get a couple of dosais and vadais and eat outside under an overcast sky.
After he finishes half a dosai and coffee (that was not as hot as he wanted it!), Sanjiv pats his stomach and asks him, “Anna, is your stomach full? Feeling like a pregnant woman’s?”
Anna: “No.” Pause. “Only like in the conception stage.”
We laugh. I know that there is more to come. Then...
Anna: “I am sure they have jaangiri.”
So off we go to see if they do.
They don’t.
Anna is looking downcast and kind of pouting at this point.
We decide to get him a doughnut for dessert.
He eats half a doughnut and drinks a hot cup of coffee at Krispy Kreme. Then he sits back and quietly declares, “Now, I feel pregnant!”
The stomach has been satisfied. But the jaangiri craving continues.
(After working in corporate India for over 29 years, Sangeeta has taken time off to look after her father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008. Sangeeta hopes that these authentic stories will help patients and caregivers understand and appreciate the impact of Parkinson’s Disease. You can follow Sangeeta’s blog here.)
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Dealing with Dependence: A Daughter’s Tale of her Father
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My Anna, the Parkinson’s Patient, Believes Sleep Can Make You Rich
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