Dear Daughter

Dear Daughter Part 5

I woke up from dreamless slumber, in a state of daze; unable to recollect where I was at. After a few more such minutes, I realized I was in place that was too familiar to be forgotten. I got up and sighed, because now I had to dig into my luggage; the luggage I had packed so hurriedly without checking to see if I've even brought the basic stuff I needed. Such was my state of mind last night when I had packed.

I opened the bag to be welcomed by a sight that wasn't too pleasant. Fortunately for me, even amidst my dilemma, I had managed to pack everything I needed. I rushed to the bathroom. There was a lavender fragrance lingering in the room.

It felt like it was about ages ago, a young me had decided to go shopping for household goods with mom. I had insisted she buy only the lavender scented room fresheners for everyone. My brother kept complaining about the excessive lavender fragrance in the house making him cringe. But, mom and dad had somehow found pleasure in watching me walk into every room just to take in a bit more of the scent that spread. 

Hot showers had always held the special power to invigorate me, irregardless of the situation. i walked out to one of the best sights a caffeine lover can ever find. A cup of hot tea waiting for me at the table. I sure was home. Taramma always knew how to keep people happy, and she did it without expectations for anything in return, without ever complaining. I had a lot to learn from her. I savored the tea after getting dressed and walked out.  

I hadn't even stepped out of my room when my little niece rushed to me and gave the warmest hug in the world. I was about to squeeze her squishy cheeks and scream "Is this really you Nia? Look how much you've grown! I can't even recognize you anymore.", which is basically what every adult does and it's been overdone so much that it feels like the rule #1 to adulting. But I wasn't very good at it anyway. So I picked her up and kissed her cheeks and was lucky enough to receive a kiss back instead of standing there, embarrassed watching her wipe her face.

I could tell how happy she was to see me. It had been long enough. I was scared she'd have forgotten me by now. After all, she was just 7. But somehow, that hadn't happened and I was pretty sure my brother had a part to play in that. I was equally delighted to see her. She was a bundle of innocence who filled the room with laughter and random talks. A little too smart for her age, she could make anyone instantly fall in love with her antics.

Just as she moved out of the room, I saw my brother standing. With a wide smile on his face that I had truly missed for a long time. I forgot how old I was at that instant and almost jumped towards him and was met with an embrace that I had craved for what seemed like a lifetime. 

And somehow, in that moment, I knew we had both craved for the same thing in those three years.