Sunday, February 11, 2007

My Daughter

If you ask me what is the greatest pleasure in life, I would say without hesitating for a moment that, it is watching your daughter grow. Or for that matter having a daughter by itself.

I can still recall that little bundle of joy being shown first to me at an unearthly hour 12 years back. The first reaction that hits, is about the familiarity that strikes. She looked like as if I had known her for a long time and it was not like I am seeing her for the first time.

The poor thing had a struggle coming out and in the process picked up fever. She had to immediately go on an IV and that meant she was quarantined in a nursery. The next 24 hours was an eager wait for the visiting hours to the nursery, where they bring out the bundle again. She was looking like a Sumo wrestler, with her weight, chubby pink cheeks and as an added measure, an IV catheter propped with cardboard support in her arms. I stayed in the hospital almost all the time for the next 3 days looking at the baby.

Then it was another long wait of 3 months, before they both came back home. By which time, she had grown even bigger and pinker. Somehow our love permeated beyond spoken words and gestures that our pet Gaby could realize that this little one is someone special. And mind you she was the first one at our home and enjoyed being the only kid for almost 7 months, before my daughter arrived. And she completely accepted the new arrival and was even watching her over, till the little one started moving and troubling her.

I was buying toys and stuff which were ever atleast 3 years earlier than it can be used and in a way, I guess I was reliving my own childhood or living a childhood that I wanted but was never there. Pinky grew into such an adorable kid, that in the 8th month when she was taken to a cricket ground, a peanut vendor asked me ‘ Please give her, I will see and return’. Everyone who saw her fell in love immediately.

I always fancied myself as someone who is unemotional when it comes to relationships and didn’t for a minute thought that I would be bowled over by such a small one. And with no outwardly visible action from me, I don’t know how she picked up confidence on me that I could baby-sit her in her 8th month. And that was a surprise to my folks too.

And then it was a joy ride in life. Every single moment we had to spend for her, was great and every single achievement of her was something so very original despite we would have done the same ourselves. I adorned her with all the possible outfits and shot snaps as if world are coming to an end that day. Bought all the toys I could see and reveled in the vocabulary she created.

That special twinkle in her eyes for me was speaking volumes by itself. And even after so many years I cant see her as something else but a kid, with a proud dad’s smile fixated in my face.

She is now 12 and a big girl. So big that she chats in the Net with her friends!! There is a boy is another class who sneaks in every 45 minutes to speak with her in the school and religiously hangs around during the closing hours to see her to the car. They go back and immediately start chatting. Though I haven’t seen him, I can visualize the adoration in his eyes and mind and he is so full of sorry’s for all her tease. My daughter tells me he looks like Harry Potter, and I have named his as Sorry Potter.

And I can see her pride in all this and I also suddenly realize that she has grown. Grown too big for daddy and young enough for friends!!

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