The Man at the Window – New Life – 11


My moods have been really bad lately, owing to the migraines I get. Work has been crazy too and I was wondering if I should go see Poppy today. I stroll past his house still trying to make up my mind and I see him. There he was - standing with his grand-daughter and feeding the street dogs, biscuits, flashing me the most welcoming smile. It was something I couldn’t resist. Poppy’s stories felt like home to me. I stood with them and fed the dogs too.  As Poppy settled into his chair by the window, I asked him if he had any pets growing up given he seemed to be very fond of animals. “Oh yes” he answered. They had cats, parrots, squirrels, dogs, ducks and chickens. I was very surprised because that was a long and varied list of animals. A faint image of Ol’Mac Donald came to my mind. “Wow”, I replied smiling. Poppy asked his wife to get me a cup of tea; I waited impatiently for a story to start, so I could forget about my nagging headache.

Poppy and Mary were happy. Mary’s stomach had started to show and not before long, the baby had landed its first kick or punch. Smiling, Poppy says he would tell Mary he wanted the baby to be a boxer and she would say - footballer. They would both laugh. “It was an amazing sight”, he said. Both Mary and the baby to come, it’s a beautiful feeling, the feeling of knowing and loving a new life before you can see it or touch it. It was the best feeling knowing that soon there would be someone who was half you and half the love of your life. He glowed as he said this. Mary’s mother would help out with dinner since she was carrying big now. Poppy helped around the house. Mary spent time with her father, sitting and chatting or playing board games. Work was going well and stress free. Mary and the baby were healthy, as was Poppy. Life was good and was only going to get better, they hoped. Then one night at about 2 am, Mary was in excruciating pain. The baby was not due for a whole month, Poppy was very worried. Poppy took her to the hospital. The doctor said they needed to admit and observe her for a day. Poppy stayed there till about 5 am when the doctor came in and asked him to go and get all the previous reports. She also informed Poppy that they would need to prepare for an emergency c-section as the baby was ready to come into this world. After Poppy signed the consent documents, he went home to get some clothes and the reports. “Remember in those days there were no mobile phones so we couldn’t inform anyone else or ask for help” he said. As Poppy was entering the hospital, the security guard congratulated him. Poppy was confused, then, the security guard told him that his new daughter had yelled the hospital down informing the world of her arrival!! Poppy’s legs couldn’t carry him fast enough. He was a bit disappointed to miss the birth but later when he saw Mary and his little pink bundle of joy, all he could feel was euphoria. Mary and Poppy were proud parents of a beautiful little girl, who would probably become a singer given the show she had put on announcing her arrival. A week later, Poppy took “his girls”, as he called them, home.

Every day was an adventure to the new parents. From calming the baby down to feeding her and washing her bum, Poppy and Mary shared the responsibility. Mary’s mother was a boon to them, given her experience bringing up two children herself. Mary’s father was not much aware of the events because his Alzheimer’s had gotten bad and he was literally under house arrest. Whenever he was better, Mary would take the little one and spend some time with him. When the baby was three months old and the parents a bit experienced, they got her baptized. They named her “Amy”. Amy was one lucky baby, not only did her parents love her, but, they loved each other. Something that is a rarity in today’s world. They were a beautiful happy family, living their little dream.

As I was leaving, the cat was getting back after her evening stroll. While petting the cat, I realized my headache had disappeared. Poppy’s stories were like magic… they never failed me !!

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