An Awakening
“Three months”, said Naren.
“Has it really been that long?”
“Ya, ma! She’s barely slept!”, Naren exclaimed.
“But you said the doctor gave her some medication and she was sleeping better.”
“Better, sure. But it hasn’t helped a lot. She sleeps for a few hours but it’s not nearly enough.”
“Did she talk to Aruna? She’s a yoga and meditation specialist. I had shared her number with Simi.”
“We tried meditation. We tried yoga. We even went to a therapist for a bit. And a bunch of other things. It works for sometime but then she’s back to the same state. I’m really worried she’s turning into an insomniac.”
“Have faith, beta! I’m praying for her regularly. It’ll all be better soon.”
“Thanks, ma! I’m feeling really stressed out. Her sleep cycle is beginning to affect mine too. I don’t get enough sleep and feel tired all day. I just hope she gets better soon!”
“She will. Where is she right now?”
“At Dev and Anu’s. We are having dinner at their place. She’s making souffle. I’m driving over there right now.”
“Okay.”
“We haven’t been socializing as much since her symptoms began. I thought it would be a good change for her. Anyway ma, I am right outside their house. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, beta. Give my blessings to Simi. Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow. You take care. Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks, ma! Bye!”
“Hey!”, Anu exclaimed as she opened the door.
“Hey Anu.”, Naren replied lazily.
“Come in. Come in.”, Anu said as she made way for Naren.
“Ooohh food smells good! What did you make?”, asked Naren as passed the foyer into the living room.
“Paella.”
“Oh nice! I love paella! Where’s Dev?”
“He has gone to the liquor store.”
“Liquor store? What for?”
“Cointreau. He’s making some fancy cocktail. Have a seat. He’ll be back soon.”
Naren’s eyes wandered to the tortilla chips on the center table. He picked up a few as he began to take a seat.
“Where’s Simi?”, he asked as he simultaneously took a seat and put the chips in his mouth.
“Oh, she’s sleeping in Chirag’s room.”, Anu replied casually.
Naren stopped chewing instantly. In the moment he couldn’t decide whether to wolf down the chips or spit them out entirely. He chose the latter.
“She’s doing what!”, he exclaimed.
“She’s sleeping. She was helping out with Chirag while we were cooking. They were both playing in his room for a while. I went in to check on them later to find them sleeping. She looked so exhausted earlier. I didn’t feel like waking her up.”
Naren looked back in awe. The words from Anu’s mouth were both a jolt and music to his ears.
“I can’t believe this Anu. She’s…You know she’s hardly been sleeping in the past few months. We tried all sorts of things.”
“I know, Naren. I think I know why she’s…”
“How long has she been sleeping for?”, Naren interrupted.
“Around three hours.”
“I have to see this.”, Naren sprang up from the sofa.
He rushed to Chirag’s room. As he approached the door, he slowed his walk into a tip-toe. He gently propped the door open so as to not make a sound. He peered in to see Simi and Chirag fast asleep in a tight embrace.
“I can’t believe this!”, Naren whispered to himself. Anu quietly walked after Naren and stood besides him.
“Chirag is really fond of her. He never sleeps with anyone other than me or Dev.”, she whispered.
“Ya. Simi loves him too. She says he is one of the few well behaved children that we have around.”
Anu smiled as she turned to Naren, “You know Naren? I have noticed that Simi has taken a very keen interest in Chirag for the past few months.”
“Yes. She really likes him.”, Naren replied instantly.
“It’s more than a liking, Naren.”
Anu had Naren’s attention now. He turned to face her.
“What do you mean?”, he asked.
Anu took a deep breath before she answered.
“Well, she’s always loved him but for the past few months, it’s like she has a separate pair of eyes for him. I don’t know how to explain it. But she’s always looking out for him. Playing with him all the time. Feeding him. Teaching him games. I haven’t seen her take that level of interest in kids before.”
Naren stood quietly for a few seconds, looking at Anu, processing what she had said.
“Ya, she’s not really a kid-person. I agree with that.”
“Do you see a connection?”, Anu asked.
“Connection between what?”
“Between her losing sleep and her bond with Chirag.”
Naren, looked at her befuddled.
“How could there be a connection between the two things? I mean if she’s developing a bond with Chirag, that’s great. But why should she lose sleep over that? The experience is not stressful in anyway.”
“Well, it is and it isn’t.” Anu said with a knowing look in her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is- Maybe Simi wants her own Chirag.”
Naren stood there quiet once again. He opened his mouth to speak a few times but no words came out. He took a few minutes to gather his thoughts.
“If that’s the case Anu, why didn’t she say anything to me? She hasn’t even hinted at it. She went for therapy. It didn’t come up then either.”
“She hasn’t mentioned it because she’s unaware of it herself.”, Anu shot back.
She took a long pause as if choosing her next words very carefully.
“There is something deep inside her psyche that is taking birth. Something that’s awakening. For the first time.”
“And what’s that?”, Naren asked.
“Her motherly instincts.”
Anu paused again.
“That’s why she’s unable to sleep. When she’s with Chirag, those instincts find an outlet. So she feels relaxed and is able to sleep.”
The look on Naren’s face was a mixture of amusement and befuddlement. He looked like he couldn’t seem to completely agree with what Anu said but couldn’t come up with an argument either.
“I don’t know Anu. That seems very far fetched. People lose sleep after having a kid not before!”, Naren laughed as he turned to look at Simi.
Anu stood there quietly for a few minutes, as if giving Naren some space.
“Naren”, she called out eventually. He turned to face her once again.
“A woman’s motherly instinct is such an innate thing that it can completely disrupt her life.”
They both stood there looking at each other for a few minutes. They had no argument or even facial expression to offer each other. The silence was broken a few minutes later by the sound of a car entering the driveway.
“Dev’s back. I’ll get the door”, Anu said as she walked towards the front door.
If the past few months had taught Naren something, then it was that the tiniest of sounds can disturb Simi’s sleep to a point where she could stay awake for the rest of the night. As Anu left him by the door, he peered in to look at Simi. She hadn’t moved a muscle since the time that he had first opened the door. She continued to be in a deep slumber, hugging the child close to her body. Naren looked at her for a few seconds before he reached over and pulled the door shut.
Special thanks to Ruta Jamenis for the story. If you liked this article, please press the ‘Recommend’ icon. If you liked it a lot, please follow me to get updates when I publish a new article. Thanks.
