How old were you when you had your first love or crush?
Who was your first love?
You already know that Anu’s first love was our father.
Let me tell you about my first love.
As I said before, many of our relatives and friends started visiting after my baptism.
Sometimes I liked it, and sometimes I hated it.
Actually, I hated it most of the time.
They steal our family time, and I don’t get any of the sweets they bring.
Anu liked it very much, as she was the one who ate pretty much all the sweets the guests brought.
Mum would sit elegantly and talk with the guests.
Anu would run around with Doodu while making noises.
I just lay there contemplating the meaning of life.
Today, we had an unexpected guest.
“You didn’t even invite me for the baptism.” The lady complained.
“You didn’t come when I invited you to the marriage,” Mum replied.
“Let’s not talk about this and that and fight again.” Both the girls agreed not to start a fight.
My heart was beating wildly.
I knew this lady.
Her name was Beena, and she used to be the best friend of Mum.
She was away for a while, and later they became enemies.
In my memories, they were always fighting.
Looks like they haven’t started fighting yet.
This wasn’t the reason I was nervous.
There was a tiny baby in her arms.
I knew who it was.
My first love from my previous life.
“Look at how he is looking at her.” Mum teased me.
“Let’s put them together and take some pictures,” Beena aunty suggested.
I didn’t care about the pictures.
My heart was beating like a drum.
Mum carefully put me on the table.
Beena aunty put her baby close to me.
I looked at her.
She was looking at me with big round eyes.
Something was blocking my throat.
Butterflies were rioting in my stomach.
I felt a tingling under my foot.
‘What should I say?’
‘Hey…
You look as beautiful as I remember you.’
‘No.
That is too cheesy.’
‘I can spend an eternity looking into your eyes.’
‘No.
No..
No…
That’s even worse.’
‘Wait.
I don’t have to speak.
I am a baby.’
I was panicking and didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately, before I said anything stupid, I remembered that I am a baby and should not say anything.
I looked at her.
She was looking at me.
“Wow…
They like each other.” Mum said.
“Yes.
Look at his smile.” Beena aunty agreed.
“We should get them married when they grow up,” Mum commented.
My smile reached my ears.
“Look at that smile.
I am pretty sure that he inherited his father’s genes.” Beena aunty commented.
“Hihihi…
Take care of your daughter.” Mum giggled as she replied.
“That’s exactly what I told your father,” Beena aunty replied.
Instantly, Mum’s face darkened.
There was a silence between them for a few seconds.
“He didn’t have a good reputation.
I was concerned about you, and I just wanted to keep you safe.
That’s why I …”
“It’s okay.
I got a hint of what went wrong between those two.
They continued chatting for a long time.
I just lay there looking at her.
She would occasionally glance at me.
She didn’t laugh or cry.
In my previous life, she was also a cold beauty whom no one dared to get close to.
She was the kind of girl who would happily beat up everyone rather than talking to them.
But somehow, I came under her protection, and she became my first love.
As a baby, she wasn’t any different.
Neither was I.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Mum asked her friend.
“Something cold.
I will help you.”
“Shouldn’t someone look after the baby?”
“Actually, mine is well behaved.
Usually, I just make a barrier and leave her.”
“Mine is also well behaved.”
Mum and Beena aunty put us in the crib together.
I was suddenly shy.
The crib was large enough to accommodate two babies.
But not too large.
Our hands were touching.
“Be good.
Don’t fight with each other.” Mum said as she went with Beena aunty to the kitchen.
I looked at her.
She was looking apathetically at me with her cold eyes.
There was a time when I used to go to school just to see that look.
‘Should I say something?
Should I hold her hands?’ I contemplated.
“What the hell are you looking at?”
‘Huh?’
“You want to marry me?
Keep dreaming, you piece of crap.” She added.
I froze.
My eyes almost popped out of my sockets.
A baby was talking!
‘Is she possessed?
Is it a devil?’ I started panicking.
“What?
You haven’t seen a baby talking before?” She asked in clear disgust.
Then I realised the truth.
‘She is just like me!
She also probably got a second chance at life.’
‘This is bad.
If she remembers the stuff I did to her in the previous life, she will kill me.’
‘NO.
She clearly remembers it.
I’m screwed.
Should I cry for Mum?
Yes, I should.’
“Waaa…” I cried.
“Shut up, you crybaby.” She almost roared into my ear.
“Hic..” I shut my mouth.
I was truly scared of her.
“Even as a baby, you are such a crybaby.
Tch…” She clicked her tongue in utter disgust.
‘Okay.
This is good.
She thinks I am a baby.
This is good.
She won’t kill a baby.’
I sighed in relief.
“Why did you stop crying?
Did you understand what I said?” She asked.
‘Holy poop!
She is on to me.
What do I do?’ I started panicking again.
‘Act like a baby.’
‘But how?’
‘Should I cry?
No.
That might make her more suspicious.
‘Yes!
That will work.’
My tiny brain was working very fast.
‘No.
Don’t be impulsive.
If I do it quickly, she will suspect me.
So wait for a while and do it later naturally.’ I decided not to act in panic.
“I hate this.” She murmured and did not look at me anymore.
I too lay there looking at the roof.
I was sweating.
Time passed very slowly.
When you are with your lover, time passes in the blink of an eye.
When you are with the person who wants to kill you, even one minute would feel like an eternity.
She kept sighing and clicking her tongue in frustration.
Her arms were small.
So I wasn’t worried about her strangling me to death.
After an eternity, the ladies returned.
They picked us up.
But I was in Beena aunty’s arms.
My future mother-in-law.
That thought made me smile.
I looked at Mum.
Aani was wriggling in Mum’s arms.
Ohh…
I forgot to say that.
Her name was Anita, and I was allowed to call her Aani.
But in this life, she is not yet named.
“Your son smiles a lot,” Beena aunty said in a half-complaining tone.
“Your daughter is wriggling a lot.
I think she doesn’t like me.” Mum complained.
Aani even tried crying.
I watched the entire thing curiously.
In my previous life, she was close to Mum and never had any problem with her.
I didn’t understand why she wanted to get away from Mum.
“Little devil…
You think you can escape from me?” Mum playfully scolded and ignored her cries.
This was another thing with parents.
They get too used to the cries of the babies that they will learn to ignore it completely.
“Huh?
I think she pooped.” My Mum said, smelling her diaper.
‘No way!’ I was shocked.
Just a few minutes ago, she was acting all high and mighty.
Now she pooped in her diaper.
I wanted to laugh out loud.
‘No wonder she was so restless earlier.
This is fun.’ I was laughing inside.
Aani’s face turned red in embarrassment.
“She is always like this.
She would go silent every time she poops.” Beena aunty complained as she put me in the crib.
“Can you give me one?” She asked Mum.
“Sure.” Mum picked a diaper and passed it to Beena aunty.
Instead of waiting for Beena aunty, Mum started opening her diaper.
‘Eeek…
This is awkward.’
I saw Aani struggling and trying to prevent Mum from taking off her diaper.
I decided not to look, as it would make her angrier.
Despite her protests, the two ladies took off her clothes, cleaned her, powdered her and put a new diaper on her.
All the time, I pretended to be interested in the diaper cover which Mum put in the crib and played with it.
After the initial resistance, Aani let them do it.
It was already evening.
They left after saying bye.
I felt sad.
She ignored my gaze all the time.
She was probably feeling embarrassed about everything that had happened.
Thinking that made me feel a bit better.
Earlier, she was acting all high and mighty.
But in the end, she was just another poopy butt.
I don’t know what the future has in store for us.
If a day comes when we can solve all our problems and be together, then I can tease her about this incident.
Till then, I have to act as an innocent poopy baby.