A Night Before New Year's Eve

A Night Before New Year’s Eve

It was a quarter past midnight and I was still halfway done through cooking some desserts for our New Year get-together the next day. I had been working in the kitchen for almost four consecutive hours and the whole place was already in chaos.  I looked at the clock and I told myself I need to finish so I could rest.

Suddenly, I was surprised to see my two year old daughter, Aisha, standing near the kitchen door, holding her small Mini Mouse stuffed toy, she was staring at me.  I could tell that she must have been standing there for quite some time without me knowing it.

I stopped and slowly approached her.  I noticed that her eyes were red, probably from feeling very sleepy but was fighting it off.

“Ma..”, she murmured.

I bent down towards her and touched her face.  “Yes…baby???”, I asked.

“Karga…tsaka kanta…please???” (She wanted me to carry her and sing for her a lullaby).

My heart melted… I was so busy the whole day preparing gifts and food for friends, (I earlier asked my kids not to disturb while doing so) that I have ignored this little darling… and she had been patiently waiting for me to finish what I was doing before she ask me to attend to her!  How could I forget that this girl deserves my attention before any gift or any food for anyone else?

I hugged her and carried her. She hugged me back so tightly and kissed me on my cheek before she put her head on my shoulder.

On our way to bed, I saw our reflection on the mirror in our bedroom. I noticed that Aisha already fell asleep.

I quietly put her down on the bed and kissed her gently on her forehead.. My little girl… my baby. Watching her sleep and hearing her soft snore was priceless.  It was all I needed to realize that no one deserves my attention more than my family… ever.