RÊVERIA

*** wolf ***

Blood is thicker than water.

      Is this true? Now, this is quite a tricky question to answer, considering the idea that the original quote which the aforementioned proverb was based on suggests something of the opposite.

     The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.

     Family is a beautiful thing. It is certainly one of the sweetest gifts you could ever receive from God, regardless of whether that family is related to you by blood or not. Now, if you had a wonderful blood-related family that would stand up for you no matter what came your way, then yes, the quote suggesting that 'blood is thicker than water' may likely be quite valid in that case.

     Sadly, the quote does not always appear to be true, though.

     Your mother was quite immensely lucky that she had a loving husband and mother-in-law who never left her side when her four siblings mistreated her rather very disappointingly. Your baba and dadi may have technically been the 'water' that the popular proverb speaks of, but, however, they also turned out to be the perfect 'blood of the covenant' which the original version of that same proverb speaks of, as well, in return.

Back in India, your family was not referred to as the Tagores. Rather you were all known as the Thakurs. Why, you ask? It was simply the actual way that the name was pronounced here in West Bengal. However, considering Rabindranath Thakur's international popularity as the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize in Literature during his time, that name Thakur became anglicized to produce Tagore later on due to the British not being able to (and probably not willing to) pronounce the original name properly, I suppose. Thus, that impactful figure of Bengali Renaissance eventually became famous as Rabindranath Tagore instead.

     Thakur was also the name that was present on all your IDs and other legal documents, but I guess your family ultimately just gave into the casual use of Tagore after they shifted to England despite that. I usually switch between both last names from time to time (which you were okay with when we were alive) so don't mind me, Gulab!

******************

You gasp so loudly, I almost flinch with widened eyes. "Hey, babe! That was my old pet name!"

     "Please do not gasp like that for crying out loud, woman."

     "Oh, Fuzzball..." You chuckle softly and pinch my cheek adorably with one hand while placing the other on my knee. Well, these childish antics have only been reserved for me up until now and I still do not know if I am supposed to feel flattered or annoyed by that.

      I briefly roll my eyes in response to what you just said but I also smile softly at the mention of my own pet name that you used to call me ever since we got together into a romantic relationship.

      Fuzzball was the name that you tended to use for me during moments where the world would be completely dark and empty, metaphorically like the overall atmosphere of that area around the Black River which flowed towards the Waiting Area, save for the presence of the two of us within that peaceful isolation. Either when you used to cuddle me as though holding on to the most beautiful yet bittersweet memory of your life and whisper those tender words of love that echoed through my ears, seeping into my dreams as I fell asleep, just like an intimate lullaby; or when we used to laugh and make obnoxious noises like those of frogs, seals and pigs while clasping onto our bellies in the amusing pain of hilarity, due to the recalling of certain funny moments prior to the laughing; or, simply speaking, during any other similar moments when we were just... alone together: either having a deep insightful conversation, experiencing some unforgettably intimate romance or just having stupid yet endearing small talk and laughing ridiculously throughout, you name it!