A dark skinned little girl toddles along with her mother.
Her mother is more than beautiful. She is gorgeous... fair gold polished skin, rose blushed cheeks that would put any blusher to shame, dark almond eyes... and a laughter so infectious that men and women would swarm around her just by the sheer sound.
The little girl is always shy because people look at her with surprise and wonder how she is so dark.
But her mother always jumps to her rescue. Saying she is the most beautiful child in the world.
The little girl then sits on her beautiful mother's lap and her mother tells her how real beauty lies inside us and only people with special eyes can see that beauty.
Many years later, when my mother, sister and I would be lost in thought, I would dream about someone with special eyes who would see my inner beauty. And carry me away to the clouds. Where there would be only laughter and love and happiness.
With my father "missing" for so many years, my mother bore the brunt of a society that always questioned her status. Was she to be relegated to white, or was she a wife in waiting? She loved dressing up and was always looking her best. Dressing up created a mood of optimism, with me staring mesmerised at her every day and wondering how lucky I was to have such a beautiful mother.
The single and wife in waiting also made my mother prey to every conversation, every social visit where there was a man- so what if that person was a colleague at work, a friend or even a relative.
She never let anything get in her way.
We grew up- three women in a new city- with the strength that mother instilled in us everyday.
We liked seeing her happy, and she always laughed for us- even if her laugh sometimes shook with the pain of carefully hidden tears.
I wanted to make my mother happy.
I wanted to give her everything she lost with my father.
I studied and studied and worked and worked.
So that oneday I could give her back what she gave us.
But then life engulfed me with family, relationships, career and unknowingly, my plans for my mother got postponed.
Maybe another day.
Could be next year.
What's the hurry? She is always around- my work can't wait.
Till four years ago, in the early hours of dawn, I woke up to the ominous ring of the phone.
And I realised that everything that I thought couldn't wait is still around.
Except my mother.
My life changed after that.
I put myself and my happiness before everything else.
Took calls that I could have never dreamt of before.
Moved cities, offices, clients, colleagues.
Carried my life and menories in a suitcase.
I am happy with what I have today.
My work, my family, my friends... with everything.
I realised that when I am happy, I can make everyone around me much happier.
And in this journey, I have found many who have special eyes.
Just like my mother said, so many years ago.
Her mother is more than beautiful. She is gorgeous... fair gold polished skin, rose blushed cheeks that would put any blusher to shame, dark almond eyes... and a laughter so infectious that men and women would swarm around her just by the sheer sound.
The little girl is always shy because people look at her with surprise and wonder how she is so dark.
But her mother always jumps to her rescue. Saying she is the most beautiful child in the world.
The little girl then sits on her beautiful mother's lap and her mother tells her how real beauty lies inside us and only people with special eyes can see that beauty.
Many years later, when my mother, sister and I would be lost in thought, I would dream about someone with special eyes who would see my inner beauty. And carry me away to the clouds. Where there would be only laughter and love and happiness.
With my father "missing" for so many years, my mother bore the brunt of a society that always questioned her status. Was she to be relegated to white, or was she a wife in waiting? She loved dressing up and was always looking her best. Dressing up created a mood of optimism, with me staring mesmerised at her every day and wondering how lucky I was to have such a beautiful mother.
The single and wife in waiting also made my mother prey to every conversation, every social visit where there was a man- so what if that person was a colleague at work, a friend or even a relative.
She never let anything get in her way.
We grew up- three women in a new city- with the strength that mother instilled in us everyday.
We liked seeing her happy, and she always laughed for us- even if her laugh sometimes shook with the pain of carefully hidden tears.
I wanted to make my mother happy.
I wanted to give her everything she lost with my father.
I studied and studied and worked and worked.
So that oneday I could give her back what she gave us.
But then life engulfed me with family, relationships, career and unknowingly, my plans for my mother got postponed.
Maybe another day.
Could be next year.
What's the hurry? She is always around- my work can't wait.
Till four years ago, in the early hours of dawn, I woke up to the ominous ring of the phone.
And I realised that everything that I thought couldn't wait is still around.
Except my mother.
My life changed after that.
I put myself and my happiness before everything else.
Took calls that I could have never dreamt of before.
Moved cities, offices, clients, colleagues.
Carried my life and menories in a suitcase.
I am happy with what I have today.
My work, my family, my friends... with everything.
I realised that when I am happy, I can make everyone around me much happier.
And in this journey, I have found many who have special eyes.
Just like my mother said, so many years ago.
