It has always been a routine affair. Everyday morning, after breakfast, i would sit down with the Times Of India and solve the everyday Sudoku before reading the paper. Honestly speaking, I’m not really good at Sudoku but yes I am addicted to it. Hence I never fail to devote 10 long minutes breaking my head on the medium level Sudoku puzzle published in the City Times.
But yesterday, my ever notorious sister smacked my custom. Anyway, I knew such a blow was coming soon. Everyday, she would wake up late and open the paper to see the Sudoku already solved. And the expression on her face! Oh, I guess that made me feel more jubilant than solving the puzzle without mistakes. However triumphant I was, her looks insinuated that a crafty plan was fabricating under her skin. And poor me, I was left anticipating the day of revenge.
I knew it wasn’t far but i also didn’t know that it would be YESTERDAY. I miscalculated. Anyway, it was my usual morning but she woke up with me astonishingly. And at the breakfast table, she nearly gobbled her food. I was wondering what’s wrong. Stupid I, so much of a clue failed to alert me. And my unscrupulous sister, judging the right moment hopped out, washed and grabbed my precious precious paper. Seeing this, I too jumped out and without even washing my hands tried to snatch away the paper from her. Well, my sister is a very violent one. Sweet words and compromise is not in her dictionary. Hence, abandoning any alternative of a peaceful solution, I decided to fight. Well, it was a very aggressive fight. In the end, the paper was in two halves and smashed like a toilet roll, I couldn’t move my left hand and my sister was crying. My mother, still sitting at the table, totally bowled over, was too overtaken for words. But, the most disheartening thing was that my sister got the precious half. I lost. I decided not to speak to the little devil.
I sat right there like a snob while my sister sat down with the paper and a pen. And in less than 5 minutes, she left. Finally, summarizing that my sister probably gave up on the puzzle, I decided to take it. And there, the puzzle was neatly solved! Now I was shocked. That little devil that could only think evil and do evil, could solve a medium level puzzle in such less time! 8 minutes is the average time for a medium puzzle recorded my Web Sudoku. And I have always struggled to reach that mark. Overtaken by admiration, I patched up with her. Well, I’ll never forget the expression on her face. It was a mixture of awe, pain and thrill.
Today, it was different. We both sat down together with the Sudoku. My mom was surprised. Little devil has changed. The everyday custom has changed. But most of all I have changed. And I like it better now.
