Laundry, cooking lessons for my cook on healthy food options for my little one, Kaira, plans for her birthday next week, etc., etc. Phew! the list is endless. I was still in bed counting my tasks for the day, when my phone rang,

“The last day of payment of the fee is November 4. Any delay will result in additional charges.”

A drop trickled down the window pane onto my Sunday cup of coffee and I looked up at the sky, wondering how I would manage this time. The last two months they had my name on the delinquency list and my girl ran under the threat of losing school. An educational trip planned for your lot was also missed, due to a delay on our part in making the corresponding payments. Brave and understanding as she is, I was surprised I didn’t get a single tantrum from her ending, but her grim face did annoy me. She once innocently told me

“Mom, I love my school and my friends very much. You promise I will never have to leave them,” and all I had was a soft smile to ease her worries.

We had been trying to make ends meet since Kaira’s father lost his job due to layoffs in the e-commerce sector. I was lucky to have survived his anger, but we saw a slump from our usual life. While other things could be addressed, the increase in tuition fees was a big concern so as not to forget the other essentials such as extracurricular check-ups, regular medical check-ups, etc.

Wrapping my thoughts under the soft rays of the sun peeking through the clouds, I took Kaira in my arms and whispered in her ear:

“This time Mumma will not fail, baby. You will make your dreams soar very high.”

I flipped through my accounts, summing up every penny we had to manage his fees, this time on time. I was wondering if there was an EMI option for this, life could be so much simpler. Regular monthly payments and she could push the money toward other needs, including an art class for Kaira. His sketches are to die for.

Expect! I’m thinking; Laughing at my childish self, I poked my head back into the documents, calculating my savings.

While getting the money instead was a concern, what worried me was the fact that I would have to take a day off or rush between breaks for a snack to deliver the same to her school. While his father frantically attended to his freelance projects, I was focused on working on strategizing for the success of an ongoing marketing campaign, a deciding factor in my next evaluations.

And, if this weren’t enough, the long queues at the counters and the hour-long waits surely wouldn’t end in the strict time at hand. In addition, I would need a day off to accompany my daughter to the clinic, which is located on the other corner of the city, to receive the necessary vaccinations. My forehead now had distinct stress lines as I tried helplessly to chalk out a way to get things moving.

Scribbling on paper, looking for a way through the maze, my marketing brain thought how difficult it could be to have something like a School Card similar to having credit or debit cards. For example, cashless payment for all school necessities with all institutions have to do is issue cards to their providers and administration, and parents can make sure that the card has money on it.

Ah! I can be really crazy sometimes …