Castle Of Love!

“I want this teddy”.

She clung on to it, and shouted again – “I want this teddy, or else I am not going home”

To her mother, she seemed a little kid having her way, but to the people around, she came off as one of those spoiled child who has to be taught a lesson, if not their thinking, the look on the people’s faces in the toy store gave away a lot.

Children are known to have mood swings very often, and this one was no exception, just when her mother was about to pay for the teddy her daughter clung on to, she exclaimed, letting the teddy which was being squeezed by her arms drop to the floor, “I want that one”, this one has only a little fur. The frown on the cashier, and other people in the store, went unnoticed as the mother without any sign of anger, picked up the new teddy and handed it to her daughter, who welcomed it warmly into her arms.

“She’ll grow up into a devil if you pamper her like this” said the girl’s grandmother.

“I am sure she will have her reasons”, said the girl’s mother, drawing pride from the glimpse of the girl talking to the teddy.

“By this age, most of the girls learn music, do household chores and are accountable to their parents”, snapped back the grandmother.

“Everyone is different, and my little angel is different in her own way, she need not be accountable to what she does, to anyone, but, I am, to her in every way – she is my pride.”

Later that night, seated at the dining table, the girl started throwing tantrums. At first it seemed funny and cute, soon it turned agonisingly irritating. She started throwing food in to her mother’s plate and ordered to be served again. Her mother did as she ordered, without of slightest sign of irritation.

“I am full; I need ice-cream amma”, declared the little girl. The tantrums seemed to come all the time, all through day till night on every single day!

“You little jerk, eat your food first”, frowned the girl’s grandmother, as she watched the girl’s mother make her way to the refrigerator and get the ice-cream for the girl.

A little less than 2-3 spoons, the girl got down the large chair which engulfed her and disappeared in to her room and came back holding the teddy which made her look small, her face covered with the hugeness of  it. She set it on the large chair and said, “He is going to eat the rest of the ice-cream”.

The mother overjoyed by the cuteness of her daughter, drew her closer and planted a kiss on her forehead, and cuddled her. The girl broke free from her mother’s embrace and embraced the teddy. Her mother was a little jealous, but, her emotions were often unnoticed. And, she didn’t expect an 8-yr old to fathom her emotions.

She was in building a castle in mud, when a lady usually a victim to her stubborn tantrums walked up to her.

“What is that you building?” you little devil.

“Not bothering to look who it was, she said, “It is for my mom and me”.

“And, why is that?”

“Because, she takes care of me all the time, puts up with the tantrums I throw which she alone was not accountable for, until God decided play a little game with her.

By this time, her mother was already aside the lady the girl was responding to. And, the she noticed the perplexed expression on the lady’s face to the girl’s latest remark.

“Her father left us, a couple of years ago, not giving us the liberty to question him. I do not like the way she looks, or she behaves. She wants to be pampered all the time and I do not have the time to put up with this thing,” 

And, you know what my daughter said? “I’ll take care of amma, I’ll make her happy and take her to places”  Those words, though unclear, from my daughter mouth, at that time elevated all the pain I was put through, it took away all the fears. The lady noticed the pride in the mother’s voice.

“I cannot be disloyal to her, by doing only my share of upbringing. We both, my husband and I were liable to her and, I am more than happy to fill his empty shoes, she’ll get the pampering and love of both of us, she is the my princess and I’ll raise her like one, with that she picked up the girl in to her arms, who was sitting next to the castle of mud looking at her mother, her arms held up.

Atop the castle lay a small piece of paper, tethered to a twig, which read “Castle of Love”.