The Binding String

N I N T Y - S I X

"Papa! Bolo na." Roohi tugged her father's hand impatient to know how exactly god has sent her to her parents.

"Dustbin se." Santhosh chimed from behind making everyone break into giggles. Roohi mouth opened wide unable to believe if her grandmother is speaking truth?

"Cheee!!!"

"Haan! Mumma Papa kisi ko milne hospital gaye the, wahan ke dustbin mein tum dikhi toh tumhe le aaye."

"Matlab main dustbin se aayi hoon?" Roohi face almost fell and her eyes filled with tears enough to make everyone laugh. "Dadi! Aap choti bacchi par haso mat." Roohi sobbed looking at her grandmother. Raman who was unable to see his daughter crying, cradled her on his lap and kissed her cheeks.

"Papa! Why I came from dustbin?"

"I don't know that dear but when we saw you, we immediately picked you up as you was tiny and cute."

"That's how all babies come?" She asked further wiping out her tears.

"Yes!" He pulled her nose making her giggle. "Hey you know Mumma bought chocolate and halwa for you. Khaaye?" Her eyes sparkled with joy and Roohi ran towards kitchen water to taste halwa whereas Ishita was deternined to have words with Mira.

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"Main aa jaun?" Ishita knocked the door slowly only to met girl trying to untangle her hairs. Ishita draw a stool for herself and started to comb Mira hairs. "Was you crying?"

"No." Mira wiped her face before looking at Ishita, the way she tried to hide her tears something twitched in her heart. She doesn't need to be mature before her age. "Nobody loves me now Mosi. I'm here but still nobody came to check me. Papa Mumma don't love me anymore." She burst into tears hugging her tightly. The girl was somewhere going through the same phase she lived before.

"That's not true darling. You know how much your parents love you and they're coming to talk to you but I stopped them." Ishita was done braiding her hairs, she wiped off her face and applied cream on her face.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to spend some time with my Mira." Ishita opened the curtains, the sun was shining outside. "Did you purchased new doll for yourself?" Ishita looked at the beautiful toy doll decorated on Mira bed.

"No. Papa bought it last week, it's cute na?" Mira cheered admiring her doll.

"But you had one doll already, what was the need of different one?" Two years back, Mihika bought two identical dolls for Mira and Roohi and both the girls love their soft toy, Roohi named one of the doll Flora.

"Yes. It's sitting there, I love them equally mosi."

"Won't you feel like to love your new doll more?"

"No! I love them equally."

"It's same with your parents too Mira, you and the new baby are equally important for them and that baby cannot take your place."

"But they think about him all the time."

"Because that baby would be small and could not take care of himself. Do you remember how you used to follow Roohi everywhere when she was young?"

"She used to fell down often and I am her big sister na."

"That's what I am saying Mira, younger siblings need little more attention but that's doesn't make elder sibling less important."

"Do you know all my friends who had baby brother are not happy now. There grandparents stopped loving them. Why it happens mosi?"

"You really feel your Mumma Papa will stop loving you once your younger sibling will come?" Mira went into deep thinking and then nodded her head in negative. "But they're excited for baby boy, what if they stopped loving me? Baby brothers are bad."