*****Their Little Princess*****
"Stop the car, Jalal. RIGHT NOW." Jodha ordered.
"What happened?" Asked confused Jalal taking his car on left side of the road. And he found Jodha pointing out to something. "What?" He looked outside but found nothing which must have caused her to get so excited.
"Watermelons..." Jodha said pointing out at the huge mountain of watermelons. She got down from the car and almost ran towards it. Jalal couldn't help but smile at this childish streak of his wife.
"Come on now, help me to find out the biggest and greenest of them all, what are you waiting for?" Jodha asked Jalal to join her.
After ten minutes of search the duo settled for one big dark green watermelon. No matter how foolish he felt but Jalal had to admit that he liked this task because he always loved watching happy, smiling Jodha and if buying watermelon makes her happy then so be it.
"Bhaiyya, ye meetha toh hai naa?" Now that they had finalized their watermelon Jodha asked the hawker.
"Haan Didi, bohot meetha hai"
"Sach batana bhaiyya agar meetha nahi nikla toh?" She asked again to make sure.
"Haan Didi, meetha hi niklega..."
"Dekh lena, agar meetha nahi nikla toh hum vaapas karne aa jayenge..."
"Didi, ab maine kya andar jaake thodi naa dekha hai..."
Both Jalal and Jodha burst out laughing at the shopkeeper's irritated expressions.
"How funny it will be naa, Jalal...we can live inside a watermelon castle...Green walls, and red colored clay. Everywhere red and cold. You will be the King and I will be your Queen and the seeds will be soldiers..." And all of a sudden her voice dropped to a sad whisper, "But...we can't have our little Princess..."
"Jo, we have talked about this..." Jalal quickly paid the shopkeeper. Wrapping his arm around Jodha to calm her down as they moved toward their car. He put the watermelon on backseat of the car and then joined Jodha in front taking the wheel.
"Jalal, why you don't want to know?" Jodha asked him again. It had become her pet peeve now a days. They had been married for five years now and still childless. They had visited the doctors, done all possible tests and treatments and doctors had come to conclusion that they couldn't have a child of their own.
"I don't want one of us to live in a guilt, Jo...so I asked doctors not to tell us that is all, we already have done whatever was possible and in our hands." Jalal tried to explain for the nth time.
"But, I always dreamed of a child Jalal and you did too...Don't you want us to have a little Princess?" Jodha replied with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
"Of course, I do. Did you give a thought to adoption as I had suggested?" Jalal asked her as he started to drive again. "Give it a thought, Jo please. You promised you would."
"Ok. I will think about it..."
***********************
And after that day every day Jodha would come up with her list of questions to Jalal.
"What if we could not give the child enough time? We both are working..." She said one day.
"Do you know when the adopted child comes to know that he or she adopted when they grow up, they may undergo trauma sometimes..." She said on the other.
"We will adopt older child, Jodha. I guess that will settle many things." Jalal answered her.
"I know Jo, you are nervous about this decision and believe me I am nervous too..." Jalal assured embracing her closer as they laid down one Saturday night, talking. "But I think we should not delay any further, tomorrow is Sunday and we are going to a children's shelter. I have done all the background check and they will be happy to let us adopt one of the children there..."
***********************
At children's shelter:
Jalal and Jodha sat across the strict looking Matron of the children's shelter who gave them details about the shelter and the legal formalities they had to complete.
"Do you want to adopt a girl or a boy? Many people want a boy and if you want a less than year old then you have to wait..." The matron asked.
"No...We would like to adopt a girl...and she should be older enough to understand that we are not her real parents but have adopted her." Jodha explained to the matron.
"Ok. Do you want a fair and good looking girl?"
They felt like they had come to some shopping place. Jodha tried to get up from there but Jalal held her hand firmly making her sit down.
"We don't have any conditions..." He said firmly.
"Ok then I would suggest a girl...Radha. She is eight year old and a very disciplined and active one, kind of eldest here. No one adopts children that old"
Radha...Jodha thought about the name. Umm kind of a common name and not at all like all the fancy names they had decided for their daughter.
"We would like to meet her..." Jodha approved.
***********************
"May I come in Madam?" A little voice came from the entrance and both Jodha and Jalal turned around to look at the owner of the voice.
There she stood, a little girl of eight dressed in a simple but clean dress. Her hair tied up in ponytail. She had a common look, her only distinctive feature was her big brown eyes which were full of innocence.
"Come in Radha, say hello to uncle and aunty. They have come to take you to their home..."
Little Radha wished them with a pleasant smile. It looked like the "Take you home" bit did not surprise her much. Maybe she was used to this Jodha thought.
"I will have a separate room there?" Radha asked turning towards Jodha.
"Yes, you will and plenty of toys too..."
"But I like books more..."
"We can arrange that too..."
"Will I be going now?"
"Yes."
"I will come back with my things then..."
And that was it. Both Jalal and Jodha came back home that day as parents along with their adopted daughter, after completing the legal formalities.
***********************
And then everyday Jodha would try something to make Radha feel comfortable to make her feel like home and night would be the reporting time when Jalal would have to listen to every little detail.
"Jo, I know you are trying to make her comfortable but she needs time to accept us and we also need time to understand her...that is all. Believe me you would be the best mother for our daughter..." Jalal assured her one night as he listened to his wife's various attempts which were quite not working according to her.
***********************
"Where is Radha?" Jalal asked as he sat down for dinner one evening.
"She went to Riyaa's birthday party...her new friend who lives just next door" Jodha informed him happily. And they started their dinner chatting about their day. The doorbell rang, Jodha had already finished so she went to answer the door.
"Hey dear, so how was the party?" She asked Radha, guiding her towards the dining table.
"It was nice, Mom..." Radha stuttered a bit at 'Mom'. "Good evening, Dad..." She stuttered again which did not go unnoticed by Jodha and Jalal. "I will come back with my homework. I have to finish it today."
Jalal watched Radha struggling with a sum as Jodha cleaned out the table.
"I know an easier way to solve it. Here let me..." And father daughter duo started solving the sum together. Jodha watched them engrossed at their task.
They were getting there slowly... "Jalal was right, time is all we need..."
"It's much easier this way, thanks..." Radha said with happiness as Jalal smiled in return.
***********************
"We will celebrate her birthday..." Jodha came up with her new plan.
"But we don't know her real birthdate..."
"Arre didn't that matron tell us that when she was brought to the shelter she was just 3-4 days old baby."
"Do you think she will be happy?" Jalal asked still not sure about this party adventure.
"Of course, all children love to celebrate their birthday."
***********************
Exhausted mother daughter duo slumped on the lavish sofa and Jalal knew that both of them were shopping non-stop for whole day. They had taken this birthday celebration very much seriously. "What is with girls and shopping?" He thought as he put his newspaper aside and went to kitchen to get some cold drink for them.
"Had fun?" He asked as he returned back to them.
"Dad, do you want to see what me and Mom have brought?" Their eight year old said with delight jumping up and down with excitement, all her exhaustion a moment before was nowhere to be seen.
Both Jalal and Jodha were awestruck with those words. Both of them sat in silence for a moment letting the words sink in. For the first time she had called them Mom and Dad with such an ease. Of course they were trying that since long time but it was always a bit hesitance before she called them so. But today it came from her heart. Both of them looked at each other with happiness and their eyes locked speaking the unspoken language.
"Do you like it?" Radha demanded Jalal's attention flashing the new fairy pink dress in front of his eyes.
"It is beautiful. Won't you try it now and show me?"
"Yes" Radha agreed and ran to her room to change into her new dress.
"You know we must have tried at least twenty dresses, before finalizing that one so you better praise it to the skies..." Jodha warned him laughing.
"Now that sounds like your daughter...Don't worry Jo, you have trained me well."
"Yes...Wait a second what did you say?" Jodha asked him in mock anger.
"Nothing. I guess, I should be thanking god that at least now you will spare me from the shopping torture as you have found an able shopping companion for yourself" Jalal replied embracing her.
"What? Shopping with me is a torture for you?" Jodha punched him softly on chest. "Did you hear what Radha said?" She asked snuggling to him closer.
"Hmm...Maybe we were not there to hear our daughter's first words Jo, but now we know how it must have felt..."
***********************
"We are going to Mom's place..." Jodha declared. It was summer vacation for Radha so they had decided to go somewhere out of station.
"Mom's place means Grandma's? The one with whom Mom talks at least for an hour everyday on phone?" Radha asked her father.
"Yes dear, that one..." Jalal sighed. "And don't be surprised if your Grandma knows every small detail about you...you know whom to blame" And both of them started laughing.
"Having fun at my expense you two..." Jodha questioned her hands on her waist.
"No, Mom we were just discussing, it will be so much fun... Dad said he will drive us to Grandma's place..."
"Really Jalal? I thought you would say that you won't come at all. Thanks" Jodha hugged her helpless husband happily as Radha continued to laugh at her adorable parents.
***********************
Jalal was driving as promised.
"Mom...look out..." Radha pointed outside from the backseat of car.
"Stop the car, Jalal. RIGHT NOW." Jodha ordered.
"Stop the car, Dad." Radha too joined her mother.
"What is it this time? Watermelons again?" Jalal sighed looking at the huge mountain of watermelons stacked up at roadside.
Reluctantly Jalal joined the mother and daughter to help them choosing the greenest and biggest watermelon from the heap. After sometime the trio finalized their choice.
"Bhaiyya, ye meetha toh hai naa?" Radha was the one asking question.
"Haan Beta, bohot meetha hai"
"Sach batana bhaiyya agar meetha nahi nikla toh?" Her mother asked just to make sure.
"Haan Bhabhijee, meetha hi niklega..."
"Dekh lena agar meetha nahi nikla toh hum vaapas karne aa jayenge..." Radha replied pouting her lips very cutely.
"Beta, ab maine kya andar jaake thodi naa dekha hai..."
And Radha squealed with delight with that idea. "Mamma...how funny it will be naa...we can live inside a watermelon castle...Green walls, and red colored clay. Everywhere red and cold. Dad will be the King and you will be his queen and the seeds will be soldiers...and I will be your little princess..."
Both Jalal and Jodha went on their knees in front of their delighted daughter hugging her tight. "Yes, sweetheart..." Jodha uttered softly. "It would be such a fun..." Jalal completed her sentence.
Both of them couldn't help but remember last time they had bought a watermelon. It felt like life had completed a circle, and they were at the same place again. But today was a different day altogether. Today they were a complete family, finally they had found Their Little Princess.
***********************
PS: Based on a vivid memory of something that I had read years back and I don't remember where. It touched my heart then and hope you all would like it too.
PPS: Posting comments is not allowed on this thread so save them for later when I will post it in a separate thread...😳
Edited by Rasika29 - 10 years ago
Shiv Shakti
82