Member-only story

RUNNING. LIFE. FLOWERS

Finally! I Got Passed the Baton!

How a simple calendar gift turned into a powerful memory

Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh
Middle-Pause
Published in
2 min readDec 18, 2024

--

A woman in a sari holding a bouquet in front of a flower shop smiles at the camera. She looks very happy. Three customers buy flowers from the florist. The florist is a woman in a hoodie who is looking away from the camera towards something in her shop.
My mum-in-law with her anniversary bouquet in front of the florist’s shop. Akanksha is in the beige hoodie. Author’s picture.

Last week, for my mother-in-law’s anniversary, I got her a bouquet from a local florist. Instead of simply handing it to her, I thought she’d enjoy visiting the shop in person. So, we drove to meet Akanksha, the cheerful florist, who helped her pick out the bouquet.

A woman in a t-shirt and black leggings with knee guards on her feet holds a thubs-up at the camera. She is smiling so much thather eyes are closed. She is holding up a brown bag that says “Fitness is fun, just run. Jamshedpur Run-a-thon Tata Steel” She is standing on a concrete lwo-lane road with trees lining it on both sides of the road.
That’s me on my daily run. Picture taken by a passer by at my request.

The florist’s shop happens to be on my daily running route. The day after our visit, I passed by as usual. Now a familiar face, Akanksha greeted me with a bright “Good morning!” I managed a breathless reply, “You, too!”

The next day, determined not to be out of breath, I paced myself and called out first: “Good morning, Akanksha!” She smiled and responded in kind.

Then something unexpected happened. Her husband ran after me, carrying what looked like a white baton. Perplexed, I stopped to receive it — and realized it was a rolled-up calendar.

--

--

Middle-Pause
Middle-Pause

Published in Middle-Pause

We are the voices of women who encourage, inspire, and empower each other to live lives of meaning and purpose. We are women in the middle.

Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh
Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh

Written by Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh

I don’t just create smiles, I inspire them! Dentist, mom—Jamshedpur, India.

Responses (22)