Our messed up lives

10. Dance partners

"Not Priyanka, its your lill Ms. Thepla here." Raima flashed one of her brightest smiles.

Completely awestuck with that flawless smile, I kept staring at it and never noticed how and when it poured into soul to bring an equally bright smile upon my lips.

Her smile was still that contigious even after all these three years!

"How are you?" My smiling lips slightly quivered as I uttered the words.

"I'm right infront of you." Rolling her eyes animatedly, she threw her hands in the air and pointed out at herself.

What did she try to signify? That she was all good? Ofcourse, why would she be bad otherwise!! But then what I supposed to say her... I mean what to say next? This was already so awkward and top of that I had lost my voice. What a perfect timing huh! What a perfect combo!..... and yes, what a perfect journey altogether!!!

"Hmm" I nodded quietly as I bit my lower lips.

Thankfully, coco came to my rescue this time. She outstretched her arms and tried to jump upon me. I also showed some quick reflex and took her from Raima's arms. The next step included neutralising this awkwardness with a nice lovey-dovey moment.

"Did you miss mommy? Mommy missed you a lot you know!" I said to coco, nudgling my nose against her cute, little tummy. She giggled away to this and replied in a complaining tone-

"Where were you mommy? I was sherching for you so long.."

"Mommy got a little busy, baby. But I promise you, from now onwards, she won't repeat the same mistake again." I kissed her curled palms. She kissed me back on my nose and signalled that she wasn't upset with me anymore.

Such a huge relief!

"Isn't my coco hungry? Shall we go for lunch then??" I asked her again.

"Err..she has her lunch done... I have fed her, Tara. " Raima informed me on coco's behalf.

Now what expression do you expect from me? Obviously that same, old jaw-dropping one, isn't it?

Yes, you got that right.

"You fed her?" I mumbled in surprise.

"Yes. There was mushroom risotto in menu and... and I remembered that you her feed her rice in the afternoons."

Okay, she remembers a lot of things I can see. But wait, that wasn't my question dude!
"I meant... she got ready to eat from your hands? She is usually not this comfortable with unknown people!" I reframed my question for her.

"But I am not unknown to her!" Raima shrugged nonchalantly. "She knows me since she was in your womb... we used to talk so much back then!"

"You used to gossip with her!!" I retorted, smiling again.

"Exactly what I am saying. She knows me..that too, quite well...isn't it Nirvi baby?" She tapped coco's cheeks with the pad her thumb.
Coco, too, responded to her by booping the tip of her nose.

I keenly observed how both of them bonded so well and was left wandering that when did this miracle happen. As far as I knew my daughter, she was never easy going with strangers. This was something that she had learnt on her own and I was really proud of that becoz of it. But with ongoing time, her changing behaviour got to gave me quite a lot of frowns. First with Adit and now with Raima....she behaved as if they were her long lost best friends. No, I wasn't complaining becoz it was surely good to see my baby comfortable around those people who are so important in my life. But at the end of the day, these important people were complete strangers to her. She had last seen them when she was only an year old and a long time had passed since she hadn't met them or even seen their faces again. She was supposed to forget them by now, but suprisingly, nothing of that sort happened.