18 hours ago
4
Woo hoo... we’ve yet travel to this day! But earlier I get into that, let’s speech astir your
names. I took my clip picking names with meaning—no pursuing contented by naming you
after grandparents. Funny, isn’t it? Parents who ever reminded maine of the worth of time
didn’t walk adjacent fractional an hr uncovering maine a unsocial name!
Now, let’s speech astir the defining infinitesimal successful our lives—when you signed up for that anti-
aging objective trial. I retrieve our speech similar it was yesterday:
“Seriously, Mom and Dad, wherefore are you doing this? The outcomes aren’t adjacent guaranteed!” I
said.
“We work the signifier and signed it. You cognize however overmuch they’re paying us? Way much than
your salary,” Dad—now Sairith—replied with a grin.
“And if you had go a doc similar Meena aunty’s son...” Mom—now Prahiti—added successful her
usual tone.
When the doc came retired aft the trial, I wasn’t prepared for the “bad news.” I
expected immoderate broadside effects, possibly a wrinkle oregon two. Instead, the doc smiled and said,
“The anti-aging attraction worked... a small excessively perfectly.”
You some became infants again.
The doctors said they couldn’t effort the adjacent signifier for months. Imagine my plight—I
dropped you disconnected with big diapers and walkers, lone to bring you location successful babe diapers and
a car seat! One infinitesimal I was helping you taxable beingness certificates for your pension, and the
next, I was baby-proofing the house. Talk astir a relation reversal.
The doctors said determination was a bully accidental your memories would instrumentality and you’d revert to
your mean age. I conscionable anticipation that doesn’t hap during show-and-tell successful kindergarten!
The astir annoying part? Thanks to a clause successful the agreement, I can’t archer anyone the truth.
Not that anyone would judge me. Only Bhai knows—and he’s happily abroad. Meanwhile,
I’ve been juggling excuses for neighbors and relatives asking astir the “babies successful the
pram.”
After overmuch debate, Bhai and I told everyone you’re abroad. I adjacent considered taking you
abroad conscionable to debar questions. But the doctors said, “What if you revert mid-flight?”
Yeah... not the turbulence anyone’s prepared for.
Bhai suggested I accidental you were immoderate friend’s kids, but I knew that wouldn’t work. So I
improvised. I archer everyone you’re Bhai’s kids, present due to the fact that his woman is undergoing surgery
abroad. It sounds similar a TV drama, but surprisingly, radical emotion the gossip.
Since I’m present your caretaker until the “irreversible” reverses, I figured I’d springiness you the
same puerility acquisition you gave me. Following Grandpa’s illustration of punctuality, I
started waking you astatine six connected Sunday mornings—until the neighbors complained to the HOA
about 2 screaming infants.
Remember how, erstwhile I misbehaved, you’d say, “One day, erstwhile your kids bash this, you’ll
understand”? Well, I bash now.
Yesterday, erstwhile I gave Dad "the look" for not eating his mashed carrots, helium burst out
laughing. Despite my exhaustion, it made my bosom smile. You utilized to ration my screen
time—now you garbage to devour without Peppa Pig playing successful the background! And though I’m
tired, I inactive crave the moments erstwhile you tally toward maine astatine daycare pickup.
I yet recognize wherefore you were truthful exhausted erstwhile I was young. Last night, after
spending an hr putting you to bed, I astir threw my telephone erstwhile it rang—until I saw it
was the hospital.
The doctors wanted you backmost for the adjacent signifier of treatment.
Despite your giggles successful the car, my bosom grew heavier with each mile to the hospital. “This
is what we’ve been waiting for,” I told myself. But heavy down, I wasn’t acceptable to fto spell of
those tiny moments. I wasn’t acceptable to halt being the 1 who held your satellite together.
When the doc yet called maine in, I braced myself.
“There’s been immoderate development,” helium said, smiling. “They’re present 16 years old.”
Sixteen. Not babies, but not rather adults again.
“We’ll effort different circular of medicine successful 2 months.” His pridefulness was evident, but each I
could deliberation was: How galore much goodbyes volition I person to hole for?
I looked astatine you, Sairith, lounging successful the chair, rolling your eyes astatine the nurse’s instructions.
“Yeah, yeah, instrumentality the pills. Got it,” you muttered with a sigh.
Meanwhile, Prahiti sat adjacent to you, casually swiping done Instagram connected my phone, not
even looking up.
The babies who erstwhile clung to maine astatine daycare were present excessively chill to care. The ellipse of life,
huh?
Later that night, I handed you some this letter. You glanced astatine it, uninterested.
“We’ll work it erstwhile we person time,” you said, slamming the doorway down you.
From helpless infants to eye-rolling teenagers successful conscionable a fewer hours—and soon, backmost to being
the parents who taught maine everything.
Life comes afloat circle, they say.
I conscionable didn’t expect it to rotation truthful fast.
Yours,
A genuinely bushed son
