The Moon’s Magic

He relaxed on the balcony swing as I struggled with her. She was very disturbed and was on my lap restlessly throwing up the food. She walked to her dad hugging him and asking him to carry her.

” Pa Pa” she cried feebly pointing towards the door. To pacify my ailing lil angel he carried her to the balcony in a close embrace.

In a few minutes I could hear my angel’s chuckle. “Hmm, Papa’s daughter”, I sighed. Stepped closer to them to see the smile on my angel’s face, in a flash she turned her face away hugging him more tight and tucked her face in her shouting “Pa Pa”. Pa and Ma were the only two words my 18 months old angel uttered. To our shock, she said  Ma and Pa frantically in non-sync pointing at something.

We couldn’t stop smiling at her recently found fascination, the silver moon. She spread her arms towards me wanting me to hold her in my arms. She could barely contain her joy at the new found charm, bouncing onto me and her dad.

In her high and low moods she loves to hear her mother sing. As I embraced her she sang her first song “aaaaa” , meaning she wanted me to sing. Tears rolled down my cheek as I sang her favorite song. I could see his eyes glaring at us as I wiped off my tears. As I felt the warmth of his arms around us he whispered “Mama’s daughter ain’t she?”. There we stood as a happy family staring at the new moon.

As a happy mama and daughter we were at the balcony swing, where dad brought the bowl of rice. “Papa will tell you a story about the moon in the sky and the moon of my life as I feed my little angel” said he lovingly. It did trigger a pinch of envy and jealousy as he called his ‘daughter  the moon. I recollected he used to call me angel and NILA.

“I met my moon twenty years ago on a full moon day like this and I fell head over heels for that moon.” he began as my little one smilingly munched her food. I recollected with a crushed ego and blush,” Yes! He did see me the first time with my dad during an evening walk on a full moon day.”

“Years passed, never was I able to go near the moon.” he continued as  I walked into the house to get my baby’s sipper bottle. Thoughtlessly I filled warm water into the bottle, recollecting those 20 years. As I was walking back I could hear him say “It was on another full moon day she held my hand in hers and said”. As I rushed there he stopped to  take the bottle from my hands. As I handed I remembered ” I said I love you on a full moon day..for the first time and “My mind raised an alarm will he say that also..sh he did “And she kissed my hand” and my little girl giggled.

I crept back to the hall and sat on the recliner listening to my daughter’s dinner time story. It was better than my lullabies and she  enjoyed her dad’s love story..”Dad’s daughter”.

As he walked back with my excited baby girl, “We finished dinner with the moon story.. yeah!!” punching his fists in air proud of his achievement. He got busy on his phone and I had to sing the lullaby for my daughter. As I sat beside watching her sleep , I was startled  by a kiss, he was back from his shower. My daughter tossed and he asked me stay with her and he walked out of the room.

As I walked out of the room, I didn’t find him in the drawing room. Walked to the balcony and he wasn’t there. I stood there and I looked back at the moon and blew a kiss thanking it for making my daughter happy and reminding me of those lovely days. My serious contemplation was interrupted with a hug from behind “I will tell you my moon story as I feed you my angel”. He fed me my dinner as I swayed in the swing but no moon story. I stopped and I got the plate from him and said “Shall I tell you the moon story?”

It was my turn to feed him. “Which story should I say?” I puzzled him as i fed him the moonlight dinner. I continued babbling “Moonlight dinner in the beach? No, you surprised me on full moon day at the beach with a gift.. Not that one the ride to the church to shoot the super moon? Our honey moon….”. I exclaimed  every statement with a rising pitch and he swayed silently chewing food. I calmed down after a while and he smiled and handed a glass of water.

“Will you not say something?” I took his hands as he rose from the swing. “My Angel You dubbed the fascination of our little angel with words. You grown up baby!!”.

“You get excited on seeing the moon and I …………. seeing you!!”