Note 14 : At Rest

Lily quietly entered the room...the room was kept dark..the temperature maintained and the silence too was loud..

I was on bed as she approached...

"did she sleep?" Lil whispered..
"finally" I whispered back.." Lil too found some place on the other side of the bed and stretched..

Agnes slept in the middle..the tiny tired eyes fast asleep.. Coughing and puking all day long..the illness had taken a toll on my little cloud..

And even in her illness, as the doctor said "pray to god he'll make you strong again",
she quipped "why should I pray to your very god who gave me this illness..?" .. The dumbfounded doctor was speechless..

Did I teach them well, I sometimes asked myself, my lessons in reasoning and questioning.. I wouldnt know. But they were starting to form their own opinions. Forming their faith in reason.

"Go to sleep Daddy, I'll stick around" Lily said looking at my tired face..,"no honey, you've got school tomorrow, you get some sleep"..

In a few minutes sleep conquered Lil too.

All of us on the same bed, the three pillars of my little happy family. I wondered sometimes if I was the weakest one - looking at how bravely these girls fought their own battles..and tirelessly won all of them..

Sleep didnt come to me that night..

But my mind was at rest.



Hdk