Childhood are the best days. Period.

I see my niece playing around the house with people running after her to feed her, to bathe her, to make her go to sleep and she never stops. People have to keep pace with her and she never slows down. She has her ways to get things done. It sometimes involve being cute, to look at you with a puppy face, to throw that warm smile at you or if nothing works, tears ensure what she wants happens, 100% of the times.

And boy! Did I melt and how? The first time when I finally held her in my arms, her warmth made my heart beat soaring. She was smaller than my arms length, eyes half closed, The way she held on to my finger, my immediate instinct was to hold her tight, never to give her away, to protect her and I think for a second I had also thought of strategies to ward off all those boys who will start running after her in school and college. 

In that one moment, from an irresponsible boy, I travelled the distance to become a responsible man, a responsible Chachu. The way she saw me, I know she had no clue about who I am or I am not even sure she could see me or recognize me, but she did not cry. Instead, I did. I was the one with tears. I think, that moment will be etched in my memory like a permanent tattoo, which will never fade and nothing can erase it.

Now she’s nearing being two year old. She wakes me up, she calls me to have my mam-mam (food), she
brings to me the bottle of maii (water), she calmly sits by my side and watches TV. She sometime even chooses to sit in my lap and have her milk. She likes to play football with me, watch Ba Ba Black Sheep on my phone, excitedly show me how she can climb a flight of stairs to a slide and then can slide down all by her own. She always comes to me to get her something which her mom, maasi or dad has made it unreachable for her and she calls me Daachu, for she can’t say ‘cha’ in chachu. I just love it.

I know all good things don’t last forever and she’ll one day grow up but these moments that she has gifted to me, will last forever in my memories.