The Empty Tiffin

     Karan had come home from a tiring day of school. It had been just 5 years since he had started school yet he couldn’t help but loathe it. Maybe it was a universal thing, he thought. As soon as he entered his house, he was greeted with a warm and soothing smile that was of his mother’s. 

     

      “Freshen up quickly,” his mother said with the same smile on her face, “I’ll set the table meanwhile.” Karan was very attached to his mother. They shared a very special bond. His father was a busy man handling his business. He was mostly out of town, working. But he loved the 8-year-old just as much as his significant other did. Karan sat down to have his lunch. It was his favourite dish today – biryani. He sat down and had his biryani peacefully whilst telling his mother everything about his day at school. This was his daily practice. Remember how I told you they shared a special bond? He ate the food but didn’t finish it entirely. He put the leftover in his mother’s plate. His mother was extremely tired of this old habit of his. She never knew why the boy made such a fuss about finishing everything in his plate.  Be it a gallon of soup or just a tiny spoon; he always managed to leave some behind. 

     “Can I ask you just one thing?” she asked the boy in a soft tone.

     “Mhm,” nodded the boy.

    “How come your tiffin doesn’t have any leftover while your plate always does?” she asked, puzzled.

    “That’s simply because I don’t eat alone at school,” he answered with a slight giggle.

    “You must be "The Tiffin Guy' then,” she said managing a giggle too. 

      The little boy assured himself that he had not lied to his mother. He hadn't said a complete lie, know. But only three beings knew the secret of the empty tiffin: Karan and the two dogs outside school.