Motherhood and Me 2

 Motherhood and Me
Post 2
Your Homecoming - Siddharth

Rashmi peered inside with eyes that spoke volumes as I opened the door. My new next door neighbour had come to ‘see’ me after I was home with my new baby. My son must have been  three  or  four days old – I was a proud mother after all those months of longing and waddling. It was a lazy hot Summer afternoon and there was quiet and peace at home….the baby was sleeping!

“ Hi ! How are you?” I greeted and enquired but all she did was give me a blank look as she looked around my living room and blurted out –“ You had a baby girl?” What a thing to ask I mumbled inside my mind, “Well, you guessed wrong! I have a baby boy” I said sheepishly.  Rashmi was confused, well, she looked confused as I invited her in.  She did all those endearing girly stuff that women do when they see a newborn , as I  very proudly introduced and exhibited my baby ! 

Another statement of absolute amusement spilled out of her, “ You had a baby boy and we did not even come to know of it?” Now Rashmi was confusing me! ‘’ You would have come to know of it eventually, after all we are neighbours!” My mind did the talking- a silent monologue!  She was a mother of two  herself–and she very authoritatively declared that  I was lucky  to have a son, “ now- even if you have a girl you will be fine” she sealed the deal for me! 

I offered her coffee and she demanded, “ Muh meetha  karao!”  I apologetically got her some Bengali sweets that was lying in the fridge and she apologized that she was carrying a set of pink girly frilly singlets  for my son. Confusion and small talk came to a screaming halt when my little man let out a cry of discomfort and Rashmi once again very confidently said that he needs a change and feed and that she will be leaving me to do the more important thing.

My mind was seeing light as I spoke to Rahul that evening. We just brought the baby home- with no pomp and show, with no blue balloon archways at the door, no boxes of sweets to be given to every hungry soul on the way home, no big money to the security guards who man the gates of Ridgewood, no wide grins and smiles,- we just brought the baby home!  For us , we had a healthy baby to call our own- boy or girl- well ,that was not for us any to decide- I gave birth to a  boy – that did not make me   extra-special or lucky! Two years hence, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl( her story will follow later)- neither then was I any less special or lucky! If only we realize this and not anything else.

As for Rashmi, I don’t know where she is today, but I do remember her . Maybe I should look her up on facebook- Hundreds of Rashmi Guptas!!

(PS: we lived in Gurgaon ( North India)then!)