My wife called, 'How long will you be with the newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My daughter, Shereen looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Shereen is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. Shereen, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this curd rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear'.
Shereen softened a bit and wiped her tears with the back of her hands.'Ok, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Shereen hesitated. 'Dad, if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'
'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal. Now I became a bit anxious. 'Shereen, dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife for forcing my child to eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Shereen came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.
Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand.
'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!' 'Shereen, darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'
'Please, Shereen why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.
'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Shereen was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words.
It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'
'Are you out of your mind?' chorused wife.
'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own. Shereen, your wish will be fulfilled.'
With her head clean-shaven, Shereen had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Shereen walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a girl alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Shereen, please wait for me!' What struck me was the hairless head of that girl 'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.
'Sir, your daughter Shereen is great indeed!' Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'that girl who is walking along with your daughter is my only daughter Sylvie. She is suffering from..leukemia'. She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Sylvie could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. She lost all her hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. She refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Shereen visited her last week, and promised her that she will take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my daughter! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'
I stood transfixed and then, I wept.. 'My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!!
The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their own terms but are those who change their terms for the ones whom they love !!
From India, Madras
4I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My daughter, Shereen looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Shereen is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. Shereen, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this curd rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear'.
Shereen softened a bit and wiped her tears with the back of her hands.'Ok, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Shereen hesitated. 'Dad, if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'
'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal. Now I became a bit anxious. 'Shereen, dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife for forcing my child to eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Shereen came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.
Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand.
'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!' 'Shereen, darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'
'Please, Shereen why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.
'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Shereen was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words.
It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'
'Are you out of your mind?' chorused wife.
'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own. Shereen, your wish will be fulfilled.'
With her head clean-shaven, Shereen had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Shereen walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a girl alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Shereen, please wait for me!' What struck me was the hairless head of that girl 'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.
'Sir, your daughter Shereen is great indeed!' Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'that girl who is walking along with your daughter is my only daughter Sylvie. She is suffering from..leukemia'. She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Sylvie could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. She lost all her hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. She refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Shereen visited her last week, and promised her that she will take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my daughter! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'
I stood transfixed and then, I wept.. 'My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!!
The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their own terms but are those who change their terms for the ones whom they love !!
From India, Madras
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