Edith Jane, is everything –beautiful, attractive, chubby,
one could add many more such adjective and it would perfectly suit her. She is
a distant relative of mine. I met her eleven years ago when I had gone to my
maternal aunt’s house, during my 12th standard summer vacation.
Edith was seven months old then. Her mom was
carrying her in her shoulder, when I first saw her. She was wheatish, had a
pleasant smile and adorable curly hair. I stretched my hands, asking her to
come to me and she immediately obliged without hesitation. Her mom, my mom and
my aunt were all surprised at her immediate affection towards me. Her mom kept
on reiterating that Edith never goes to anyone leaving her.
My sister Ruth (my aunt’s daughter) then deduced
that I look more or less like Edith’s dad and that could be a reason for her
attachment to me, whatever.. I had her in my shoulders. Her curly hair was
softer than silk. Her eyes were as bright as buttons and were constantly
looking out for something interesting.
I carried her to the gardens in the backyard,
showing various flowers and trees. She was all smiles and no wealth in the
whole world could match the happiness her toothless smile gave. Her smile was
so contagious that I couldn’t top myself from smiling along with her.
I then took her to the terrace. My aunt’s house is
near the aerodrome, with the planes landing and taking off every now and then.
I wanted Edith to see the big silver flying machines. I knew she would like it.
In the terrace, there was a little unfinished
square pillar at the centre. I made Edith sit over that comfortably. She did a
360 degree Panavision scan of the surroundings and was all smiles. There is nothing
more beautiful in the world, than a smiling baby. Not all kids would keep smiling
for such a long time in the company of a stranger… Edith was different and I was
no stranger by then.
I carried her in my arms and began to walk along the
walls of the terrace, so that she could get a better, closer look at the beauty
of the adjacent terrain. She got excited and wanted to get down immediately and
play with the trees. She waved one of her arms at the trees as if calling them
to come and play with her.
No words came from her little mouth but strange
sounds, which I believe the trees could understand. She was talking to them,
they were nodding their branches. I asked her
“What honey?”
“Hmmm…uh…hmmmm..uhh..uh..hmm”
That made
much more sense than what it seems.
“You want
those trees? Yeah, call them, come on call them “ I told her
She turned towards the trees, as if she understood
what I said and began to wave at them again, calling them towards her. After sometime, realizing that they weren’t
moving towards her, she turned towards me with a sad look and a let out a big “Hmmmm”
as if to ask me “Why are they not coming to me?”
I had no answer.
Wanting to divert her thoughts, I took her to the
other side of the terrace, in the direction of the aerodrome. And God bless our
luck, a plane took off..
The plane let out high decibels of sound as it hit
the sky from the ground that it was too heavy for my ears, I immediately closed
her ears. But she didn’t react, she was not scared, didn’t cry, didn’t blink ,
but was keenly looking at that big silver giant, without batting an eyelid. Not
a word until the flight managed to escape our sights.
She then turned to me
“Uhmmmm” she said pointing in the air.
“Yes…. it
has gone”
She once again looked in that direction, into the
open sky and gave a puzzling look at me.
I carried her and walked for some more time in the
terrace and then took her back into the house.
She then started playing with her dolls in the
company of my mom, sister and aunt. I was forced to change priorities and was made
to talk with ,my uncle and brother.
We had our supper by 8.00 pm. After that, I sat in
the steps of the front door with my brother Franklin (aunt’s son) and was
discussing with him about his college life.
Edith’s mom came with her, towards us.
“Franklin, could you make her sleep” saying, she
handed Edith to my brother.
“What bro… what are you going to do to make her
sleep?”
“Well Dani, she won’t sleep if we lay her on the
couch or the floor. She would sleep only if someone carries her along in their
shoulder and walk for sometime”
“Oh! Really… Well… then… Let me put her to sleep”
Saying so, I got her from him and carried her in my
left shoulder and began to walk, in the portico, as I continued my conversation
with him.
I didn’t realize how long I had been carrying her,
but slowly felt a paining sensation in my left hand and shoulder. It dawned on
me that I had been carrying her for almost 20 minutes in the same position,
close to my heart. I wanted to change position and bring her to my right
shoulder.
I slowly lifted her from my shoulder, but I couldn’t.
She wouldn’t budge. Confused, I looked for what had happened. I gave a hearty smile
when I found that the little one had hugged my neck tight with her little soft
hands and that, removing them could disrupt her sleep.
Her arms held on to me, with warmth and a sense of
belonging. Her sweet milky smell was all over me and started to fill my senses.
I didn’t want to disturb her sleep. She was quietly sleeping, like a cute
little doll. I continued to walk.
“What happened?” Franklin asked me
“Just some pain in my left hand bro” I replied
“Change her to your right shoulder then”
“Nah, that’s okay, if I try, she might wake up” saying
so, I continued to carry her and walk.
There are certain things in life that gives you
utmost satisfaction, which money can never buy. True bliss it was. I walked
then for another 15 minutes or so, carrying her, by when, her mom had finished
her supper and came to get her.
“Oh she is sleeping in your shoulder ? Fine let me get her” she said.
“Yeah…. Without disturbing her, careful.. slowly“ I
made the best possible effort, not to wake her up and somehow managed to hand
her to her mom..
“Thanks Dani… she has slept well”
“Oh you are welcome” I said, as I still felt her
milk smell on me.
