Surprise, Sister Siya!

Siya snuggled further inside her blanket. After a night of restless turning, it was more like a cocoon. She yawned in a sleepy warm daze. She must have beaten Mommy’s alarm clock by some minutes; it gave her laze-in-bed time.

Siya turned to her confidante - Ribbons; he was a battered stuffed bear suffering from loving-girl-pattern baldness. Even the necktie for which he was named was barely recognizable - more a grayish brown stringy length of silk. He was, however, a very good listener.

Siya whispered to him that Mommy was getting awfully grumpy these days. Weren’t fat people supposed to be jolly? She often got impatient clicks of the tongue where once the response would have been a kiss or a pat. She liked Mommy to brush her hair. She could do it herself, but Mommy’s brushing would make her feel petted and relaxed at the same time. Without any warning, she had become a big girl, too ‘big’ to get Mommy to brush her hair. Her lower lip quivered, it wasn’t fair.

Mommy was mean to Papa too; last night he had asked if she needed help to get up from the low divan. He was a tall strong man, Siya barely reached past his waist. Mommy often asked him to help lift something and thanked him with a kiss.

Not last night. Mommy had used some big words and a nasty tone: I’m not parawiszed, just very peggant. Or something like that. Papa had jerked back his hand as if it burned, like the day he'd tried to open the car door after an afternoon out in the hot summer sun.

It was odd, the house was silent, no sounds in the kitchen. The last couple of weeks they’d had only toast and jam, Mommy only put her feet up on a chair and watched. Her feet were getting awfully fat too, she had to wear bedroom slippers all the time.

Is it a holiday? No, we watched “Mowgli” yesterday, that’s on Wednesday.

Maybe, I am such a big girl now that I don’t need to go to school. So no need for breakfast, Papa and Mommy are probably sleeping late . Mommy smiles more after she sleeps late. That’s a good idea; Ribbons and I will sleep late too.

Her troubled mind would not let her slip completely into dreamland. There had been some noises last night, some bumps and muffled cries. She even thought she had heard someone come into her room, but she had closed her eyes tight to wish the monsters away.

What if the monster-who-gurgles-in-the-sink came again, later last night? What if Mommy and Papa ... no-ooo ... She wouldn't think of that.

W-What if it was now on the way to get her?

There were soft footsteps on the landing; they shuffled to the bedroom door. Siya became wide-awake, she clutched Ribbons tight to her chest. The thing, whatever it was, paused. A listening contest ensued.

The knob was the focus of Siya’s attention, shiny, silvery, softly turning. She quivered, ducking under the covers with barely one fluttering eyelid showing. Her breath came through her open mouth in little hiccups of fear.

Mrs. Williamson’s frizzy grey curls were poked in through the widening gap of doorway.

“So, you are awake, darling. Good.”

An indignant little girl became a blur of motion, racing barefoot to her parent’s bedroom, ending in a surprised skid before the empty beds.

“Where are Mommy and Papa? What have you done to them?” Her disheveled appearance lent weight to the accusing glare. Two arms, held stiffly akimbo, said any past neighbourly proffering of cookies would not influence her attitude.

“Sweetie, Mommy had to go to hospital. Papa drove her there last night and I came over.”

“Mommy? In hospital? Is she parawiszed after all? I mean, is she peggant? Does it pain? Will they need to take it out?” On Siya's last visit to the hospital she'd had a splinter in her hand taken out.

“What?” The barrage of questions obviously stumped a confused Mrs Williamson. She rolled her eyes at the anxious child before her.

A bewildered and overwhelmed child was yet determined to find out what had happened.

"What's the matter with Mommy?"

“Honey, it’s nothing bad. You’ll see. We’ll have a great breakfast first, then we’ll get the house spic and span. Then you can have lunch and a nap, and a car will pick us up to meet Gran at the airport, OK?”

“No, I want to go to see Mommy ... n-now. “ The forlorn ultimatum faltered halfway through.

“Mommy will be all sleepy now, after the – ummm – thing.”

“She won’t be too sleepy to see me. I’m her Sunshine - her little Rani

a queen, in Hindi

- her Pankudi

vernacular diminutive for petal

.Each title was accompanied by a further lengthening of an out-thrust lower lip and a voice that rose to near-hysterical pitch.

Siya sat down and started sobbing, and that, Mrs. Williamson knew how to deal with. She gathered Siya and pulled her onto an ample lap. She laid her grey head on the soft flowing black tresses of a downcast head, she crooned vague words, and they both rocked back and forth.

Late that evening:

Siya stumbled as she negotiated the incline. She always ran up the slope instead of taking the steps to New Era Hospital, but today her feet were not sure whether to run or to shuffle. She wanted to see Mommy so bad it hurt her throat to say it, but she was also afraid of what she would find when they got there. Nima, her grandmother, had tried gentle hints, but without permission to reveal the whole, it only accentuated Siya's fears.

Siya had been making progress through the maternity wing, guided by a gentle hand between her shoulder blades. Now the door loomed in front of her, an uncaring bland beige barrier. She groped for Nima's hand, the little fingers curling over the knobbly knuckles.

Mommy was lying in the bed at the far end, there was a small bolster at her side that she seemed to be trying to readjust.

A dam broke in Siya's heart and she ran forward to throw herself at her mother.

A wan face jerked up in alarm and one arm was upflung. Papa caught her by the waist and swung her around, but Siya wasn't squealing in delight.

All the adults spoke together; she only understood she was to be careful of something on the bed.

Is it a spider perhaps? But no, Mommy is peering down at that bolster as though it contains something delicate and breakable - like the ugly vase I nearly broke.

Siya peered down, tears of rejection sparkling on her lashes.

Why there's a face on that bolster - how strange. Is it a doll? It has curls, and eyes without lashes, and really red lips.

"Here's your baby brother, darling. He is very delicate, so you can't hold him just yet."

This sausage in cloth? My brother? Who wants to hold him? His face is limp and red and more like a crumpled cabbage leaf.

A this point, the cabbage leaf started to wail, piercing angry sounds that turned both her parents into dervishes revolving around the bundle. It seemed the only way to stop the sound was for Mommy to turn around and hold him real close.

Siya thought he was wet. That proved literally so after Mommy turned back again. Her visit was thrice punctuated by various incidents. The smell was terrible, Siya thought they could bottle it for weed-killer.

She did get a big hug from Mommy and a few words of affection, but it was her father who held her in his arms for the most part. He somehow forgot to call her Pankudi or Rani. Mostly he kept looking at his watch.

"Well, Siya, how would you like to go to the cafeteria and get an ice-cream?"

Ice-cream? The ice-cream truck comes twice a day. I wanted to sit on Mommy's lap.To tell her all about my day.

"OK, Papa."

One small vanilla cup later, she was on her way out with Nima.

Papa settled them both in a taxi, bending down to give his subdued daughter a kiss, it landed awkwardly on a withdrawing cheek. He did not even tickle her, to bring her closer.

He had turned to go back even before the taxi jerked away, he never saw the face in the window, that waited for his wave. A disappointed face that turned into her grand-mother's shoulder and pretended to sleep, all the way home.

Two months later:

The milling group of friends parted and the center of attraction became visible. A baby in a small slotted crib.

It was the first time Baby Ved had seen so many of these tall shadows with light faces. Nandy was relieved he had not yet started his banshee wailing, a sudden movement could set him off.

Ved was actually well-fed, dry and refreshed from a nice nap. He was content to lie there and absorb things. He usually did not like new, but today he was willing to see where it led.

Siya really could not see what there was to make a fuss about, but the adults seemed to find something marvelous in a noisy accident-maker. They acted as though he was ever so smart to just open those big black eyes of his.

Siya was sickened by the sight, only Ribbons was silent on the issue. She hugged him closer to her as she prepared to sidle out.

Someone exclaimed, "Oh, there’s Siya, let me see you, sweetie."

Her grudging movement toward the acquaintance brought her within a pace of Ved's crib.

Another lady proffered, “He doesn't seem to smile yet, Nandy. Surely he should be smiling by now?"

Nandy murmured, "Indeed Ved has begun smiling, but rarely. Some babies are slower than others."

Well, really, I suppose that lady wants him to sit up and beg too? Criticism of something 'belonging' to her made Siya look at Ved .

Hmm, he does look - what is the word - 'chweet', today.

Two limpid black eyes swiveled to the new object in focus; the eyes zoomed in on her face. Two plump legs kicked the air as though he was riding an imaginary bicycle.

Siya was intrigued and bent over the crib, the two children stared at each other. She smelled talcum powder, a striking improvement on stinky-poo. She leaned in further and her pony tails swung over her shoulder, long cherry ribbons waved.

The tiny face broke into a toothless smile and a crowing gurgle came from Ved. He seemed to be asking her to do the clever trick again.

She shook her head to oblige and he reciprocated with another throaty ripple of joy and a smile of delight which made his eyes crinkly slits of laughter.

"Why, Siya, he really likes you!" Let-me-see-you-Lady exclaimed.

Mommy's hand reached out, brushing back Siya's curls,"Naturally, Bhavro

A boy bee in vernacular

loves the sight of our darling Pankudi."

Siya had let her hand dangle in the crib, one finger idly pointing at him. Mommy calls baby her Bhavro, she called me Pankudi again! He loves me? Joy and wonder mixed in her mind.

One dimpled hand arose and his fingers curled around Siya's extended digit. He tugged and the legs were pumping to the finish line. Siya laughed, he echoed the emotion with another chortle.

Nima called out, "Come and have tea, everybody, fresh brownies." Siya loved Nima's brownies. Brownies trumped baby.

She was sorry to have to turn away from Ved, though, "Bye, baby. Bye, little brother."

Then a happy thought struck her, he wasn't going anywhere, she could come back and 'talk' to him anytime. She was indeed lucky.

Maybe he isn't such a useless crumpled cabbage leaf after all.

Word Count:1986

Written for "Quotation Inspiration: Official Contest"  [E]

Quote:An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
~Charles Dickens