BABY’S DAY OUT .............GOD EXISTS
I must have been around 16 or 17 years old and my younger brother four years less. I don’t exactly remember what occasion was in the horizon, but my younger brother and I were preparing to pay a visit to the tailor, to give measurement for a new set of clothes. It must be around 5.30 in the evening. Like a family doctor, family priest we also had a family tailor, who shop was just a kilometer away from our house. All gents in the family were supposed to get their clothes stitched here. We also had a family barber; all men folk would visit the same barber shop. These so called “family attaches”, if you may call, was identified and decided by my father and followed diligently without any questions.
“NATARAJA SERVICE” (walking) was the mode of transport to most of the places we visited in and around the house. I requested my sister-in-law (my elder brother’s wife) to join us in the visit to the tailor and for some reason she refused. I expressed my desire to carry her young daughter; the baby must have been just under three years or so, if my memory is right. My SIL acceded to my request without any second thoughts. Off we went, my younger brother, the baby and I towards the tailor shop clutching in one hand a bag containing new cloth and carrying the baby by in the other.
It must have been around 6.00 PM, we reached the tailor shop and immediately the tailor got to his work. Somewhere during the discussion with tailor or in the course of giving measurement, I have placed the baby down on its feet. The baby was capable of walking on its own, it just wandered off the shop. Neither my younger brother nor I realized even for a single moment that the baby was not in the shop. Our interest and enthusiasm in getting the new clothes stitched clouded our prudence and precaution. The baby had wandered off. How long she was outside the shop, I am not aware. My brother and I had completely forgotten her, clutching the empty cover, with no care in the world, started walking back home.
The time must have been around 6.30 pm and it was almost getting dark. More people were on the street. We would have hardly covered 300 meters from the shop; I suddenly realized that something was missing. I realized that I was not carrying something I carried to the shop, I screamed looking at my brother – the baby - where is she? My brother gave a shocking look matching mine and we both swiftly turned back and started running back towards the shop as if death was chasing us. As we ran, so many dreadful thoughts crossed my mind and I shudder to recollect this event even today. We were just a few yards from the shop, we saw the baby; yes the baby smiling, safely in the hands of her mother. My elder sister was standing beside.
I profusely apologized to my SIL for being so careless about the child, she and my sister could not help laughing looking at us, after hugging and kissing the baby, we all made our way back home. Though I was relieved finding the baby, I was riddled with guilt and walked the full length with my head hung in shame. On reaching home I went to my elder brother and narrated the incident. He also did not make anything of it.
After a while, regaining my composure, I enquired with my SIL, how come she was there? She replied that, few minutes after we left, she just felt like taking a walk at the invitation of my elder sister who had just come back home from college. My SIL had suggested that they take the walk towards the tailor shop. She told me that, as they were in close proximity to the shop a child came and embraced her and when she looked down, it was her daughter. Sure, a baby will know her mother even in a crowd.
How this happened? Why my SIL, who had initially refused my invitation to join us, changed her mind at the request of my sister? Why she had to decide to walk the path we had treaded? What if they had not taken that walk at all?
….
