The newborn

“there she goes , bawling again!!”

He whispered urgently , making two distinct foggy patches on the glass, one from his mouth , another , smaller one , from his nose . After a while , he sniffed. Then took out his specs to wipe them . He was crying . Goodness!! Who was the baby here ?

“For heavens sake , calm down !! Babies bawl , she will be fine .” Amita tried to drag him away from the glass partition , but he wont be budged . He kept chanting “Don’t cry baby .Put your little foot down .” Whispering , entreating , drooling over the glass , almost getting himself expelled from the premises. 

Drama quotient runs high in our family . Specially with him . And now he was a grandpa. Unstoppable . Amita sighed with resignation on the green reccine sofa . “It was a mistake to bring him along to see the baby ,” She thought , resolving never to drive him down again.

She wondered looking at him go to pieces , like this , at a newborn baby, how he had managed to raise four kids , through illnesses , adolescence and bad relationships . Amita developed new respect for her eminently patient sister , sitting on the edge of the sofa , staring straight ahead , pretending not to see or hear her better- half bawl his eyes out . 

Presently , the daughter-in -law called for her mother-in-law , and Rita stood up with the basket full of essential supplies , dry clothes for the new mother , diced fruits , hot water in thermos flask , and more nappies for the baby . 

Amita . still full of admiration for her sister , went in and realised that Jiju, despite his display of histrionics , had decided to stay in the visitor's foyer.

"He will faint if he so much as sees a drip in her arm . Better let him sit here ." Rita explained confidentially , once in the changing area. 

Strangely, Amita found Jiju calmly contemplating a semi clad Sunny Leone on a magazine cover , scratching his bald pate , when the sisters emerged , an hour later , once the visiting time was over . 

He hastily put away Sunny and meekly followed them to the parking lot .