The Things They Say

We were at MaaJanoni's a few nights back. The boys were spending the night with her while I was going out for a night on the town. MaaJanoni was busy getting them ready for bed and getting them all powdered and fresh and cosy. Suddenly, the little guy looks up at her and says, "Manuku, tumi aabaar biyey koro naa keno?" (Manuku, why don't you get married again?)

I nearly dropped my eye-liner and turned around flabbergasted. Where did he get that idea from? What would MaaJanoni have to say?

She took a few seconds to recover and said, "Keno shona? Tumi toh aachho aamaar jonnyo." (But why my darling, you're there for me.)
EO: Naa. Tumi aabaar biyey koro. (No. You get married again.)

Maa: Kintu, aami jaakei biyey kori naa keno, shey toh buro hobey. (But no matter who I marry, that person will be an old man, naa.)

EO: Tumi biyey korley, aami okey Daduku boltey paarbo. (If you get married, I can have someone to call Daduku again.)

This exchange broke my heart for a million different reasons. First of all, the mere thought of someone replacing my beloved DaddyDearest was too painful to even contemplate. Secondly, MaaJanoni with someone else...even though I know it wasn't a match made in heaven, but still...someone else? And then, was my little boy afraid of losing whatever precious few memories he had of his grandfather that he thought a replacement would make it better? Was he so replaceable in my young son's mind? Was my father already just a mere thought in his memories?

I was a very sad and lost little girl that night.

And then, a couple of nights later, at a friend's beautiful farm-house in Shanti Niketan, we had gathered for an evening of fun and barbeque. The night sky was plastered with a zillion stars and it really was the most mesmerising, meditative and tranquil sight. Suddenly, breaking my world of calm and silence was my YO's voice, full of happy excitement: "Look, look! See? That brightest star there is my Daduku."

Of course I cried. All was right with my world again.

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The other day, the MIM put on a slide show of the boys' photographs from the time the EO was four-years-old and the YO was a year old. The pictures were a melange of first day at school snaps, fancy dress snaps, picnic snaps and what-have-you. The boys giggled and squealed and recounted certain memories...their eyes shining big and bright. When it was over, my EO sagely remarked, "Oh how I miss those days!"

Oh how I laughed!

The YO then pulled at my sleeve and said he wanted to see the slide show again. I got comfy next to him and kept going 'oooh!' and 'aaaah!' and 'oh so sweet!' I finally said, "Oooof! Just look at my little babies! How sweet they were! Now they've grown sooooo big! Who will be my baby now?"

My adorable little boy just looked at me and said, "Sorry, Mamma."

I think I almost fell off the bed. I looked at him and simply (and stupidly, I might add) asked, "But why, my shona."

And he just simply and sweetly replied, "For growing up and becoming shooooo big. That'sh why."

Awwww!