It was May, 2021 in the blink of an eye. Jay and I had already spent 3 weeks in Madurai without Mum and Dad (They were at Rajapalayam. oh the fun! ;) ) .

On a fine evening of the corona lockdown, Jay, very calm and composed, told us he finally got his offer letter from Infosys. I could say he was bubbling with joy inside just to the thought of getting paid every month from now. Mummyma was thrilled and was close to literally jumping with joy. Thatha was happy. Mum and Dad were, of course, thankful and extremely delighted. We had a congratulatory party with Gulab Jamuns the next day.

Now begins his purchase list. Appa got him a high-end laptop that was just one step away from launching rockets. I gave him my wireless mouse. He set up a new wifi connection with amazing speed. He set up his workstation upstairs, with Thatha’s desk and a chair. Then buys a keyboard wrist rester (Never have I heard of it in my 3 years of IT experience or heard anyone use it) and a mouse pad, without which, apparently, it was impossible to work. While I tour the house carrying my laptop, the charger, the mouse, and my earphones, to settle down in anyplace with a plug point. Jay started an LIC policy after Appa’s recommendation. We had an LIC agent (an acquaintance) come home, get his signature and passport size photos, who also ended up measuring our height.

Jay’s training began. On the first day, He woke up at 7 am. Got suited up for his Induction Meeting via video call ( which turned out to be only audio). In just a few days, he was seen attending bravely in his shorts, bare chested, with an emergency tee on the bed. Before his day begins, He takes coffee in a flask along with boiled green grams for snacking.

He was, of course, exceptional in all his mock and main Java practical tests. We were all proud. Jay had by now set up his bank account with netbanking and held a debit card.

Then came his first salary. Of course, just like me, he had a list of things to buy with “His” money. He was told to start off by gifting our grandparents. Mummyma got a beautiful purse and Thatha got track pants. I put my gift on hold for later.

Some afternoons would be hard on him as they make him sleepy. Setting alarms and waking up at 2:30 pm or 2:00 pm became a habit. Watching 12:30am matches seemed risky during the Euro2020. Although, he did end up watching the finals and still woke up on time that Monday.

During his 4:00 pm break, he would prepare oats with milk, peanut butter, almonds and cashews. I always smuggle a small portion of it.

He ends his training at 5:30pm. After that, it’s either anime time or connecting online with friends to play football or watch series.

He started cherishing Fridays more. Thus joining the IT club.