The most secure place in the whole wide world

Time: 8:30 pm

Venue: Sitting room

Scene 1: My 9 month old baby, Alexi (that’s what we call him at home), swimming across the floor slowly getting impatient with his toys. The restlessness sets in by and by. He starts rubbing his eyes, pulling his ears and scratching his head. That’s the password to ‘put me to sleep amma’. I pick him up, make him pray, we bid goodnight to all his toys.

Venue: Bedroom

Scene 2: I change his nappy and dress him up for bed. All the while, I can feel those tiny eyes fixed on me, pouring out so much of love and admiration.

Off Late, Alexi usually goes off to sleep by himself in his cradle. I have to simply aid him with a lullaby in the background. He, I noticed, was not yet in the mood to settle down to sleep, or so that’s what I thought. He was turning around and very soon propped up in his cradle. “What’s wrong?” I thought. He wasn't playful in his crib either. In the dim lights, I strain my eyes and realize that he was staring at me with those lovely eyes. “Enna muthae” (What is it, my dear?), I ask. He arches forward with an open mouth. I go forward and he plants a sweet little kiss on my cheek. All he wanted was to kiss me. I melt and kiss him back. I hug that squiglly little being, propped up, from over the crib. “Ammayude koode varunno?” (Coming with Amma?), I whisper to him already sliding him out of the cradle. I cuddle him in my arms. He flashes out a tiny sweet smile, gives out a sigh of relief and sleeps peacefully.

"Oh God! ‘Thank you’, sometimes seems too small a word to express gratitude."