Maa-si or Maa?

 I hear his cry and fathom he has collic pain. I rush to the medicine box, take out the Colic-Aid, and put a few drops of the liquid in his mouth. The next instance, he stops crying. By now, I have mastered the guessing game. From the way he cries, I can tell if he is hungry, if he has stomach pain, or if he is sleepy. 

All moms nail it by 6 months as to what the baby's needs are! I was a first time mom, very careful when picking him up in my arms, very careful when feeding him, very careful while bathing him and dressing him up... I started with this, just like the rest. And now, I picked him up even while talking on the phone. I could feed him anywhere; bathing him was a fun time now; getting dressed was a story-telling time. 

Even though the first word he said was "Baba" (for dad), I coveted the time he would call me "Maa."

I hear him cry once again. I try to rush to him, but something is stopping me from moving. It feels like I am tied down by a rope, or rather a hawser, making it difficult to move. My limbs feel numb and my body is frozen. I try to open my eyes, but all I can see is a tint of black, like jet black. 

"I can hear him crying though," my brain tells me. "He needs me." and suddenly I hear my sister's voice. She is singing a lullaby: "Hush little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird." And I want to tell her that "Rock-a-bye baby on the tree tops" is his favorite. 

Suddenly, a scene flashes in front of my eyes. A lightning strike occurred, and a huge tree got uprooted. And I...I was walking a past...and instantaneously, I went blank. 

So, was I dead? But I can hear people around! ...... So was I in a coma then? No doubt, I feel catatonic.

But my baby is hardly 7 months. How will he survive without me? I become agitated but powerless.

I hear giggles. He's stopped crying. Maasi has taken care. Within a short time, I can feel that he is already asleep. My sister places him near me. I am not awake to see things happening, but I can infer that my sister is there for him.

Every day I hear my husband, sister, and other close ones coming and talking to me. "Wake up, Chikoo needs you," they say. They cry. They feel sad. They are trying their best, praying for me to get up soon. 

Report to me about the baby... He's crawling around the house now. He loves oranges and bananas. He's attempting to stand up with assistance. He loves listening to "Chanda mama dur ke...." My sister delineates each and every detail. 

I am happy that my baby has his Maasi around, who is keeping him safe.

I want to weep, scream, and, more so, hug my baby tight. I want to see his smiling face. I want to feed him and kiss him unceasingly. 

And I sense my sister kissing my baby, and my baby responding with a "Maa." I had waited for this moment for eons. 

My sister shouts with excitement, "He's saying Maa, didi, he just said Maa..didi..didi..!" Her voice is trembling. 

My baby called her "Maa". I can hear my sister sobbing. And I am pleased that my baby has accepted his "Maasi" as "Maa".

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A mother's love can never be replaced. But when mother's not there can't a Maasi be a Maa? 

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