Pequino Milagro..

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    She was just about eight years old. Too cute to describe her innocence in words. My exposure to Latin phrases came handy, I whispered to Mom, "Look, she is 'pequino milagro!' (the little miracle)". Mom smiled and her reply hit me hard - "She is the girl." As Mom took the girl in her arms, I was failing to muster the courage to look into her eyes. When I managed to pull off a smile, the girl effortlessly smiled back.

     "How are you?" I questioned.

     "Passed my exams", she was visibly enthusiastic. "2nd rank in class, will go with new bag to 2nd standard when school reopens." How cheerful, I wondered.

     Forcing a smile, I repeated, "How are you?"

     She was looking at her mom from the corner of her eyes. Turning back to me, with more confidence this time, she put a naughty smile and asked "You have a chocolate?"

     I did not have one. I was cursing myself for ignoring when Mom had asked me to buy one en route. Before I could overcome the guilt and say a no, she escaped from mom's arms and ran out to catch the kitten which was sneaking out of the house.

    Tears were making their way out, though the girl's mother refused to let the tears roll on to her cheeks. The girl's uncle, my mom's eldest cousin, was probably talking to himself though he addressed me - "I always felt life has been unfair to me. Your mom, aunt and uncles all got settled well in their lives. We all grew up together and shared the joy of childhood. But I ended up as a failure. I cursed life for not blessing me with miracles, until the little miracle walked into our family in the form of this little girl. Now that I have realized life is beautiful despite failures, what about the loss we all await?"

     She was a hope of sunshine in that typical Indian lower middle class joint family of our villages. She was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia a couple of months ago. The doctor was harsh when he termed it 'blood cancer', leukemia might have sounded better to the family. No medication had any improvement. The family was counting these days.

     The pain of a smile was bizarre to me. I was fighting a loosing battle to put up a smile when she rushed in. She was eager when she asked, "You come to the college, which is next to my school?" I nodded. "So after school reopens, I will wait at your college for the chocolate" she quipped.

      I am afraid to go to the college. Chocolates haunt me. Now I refuse to describe anything in Latin. 'Pequino Milagro' was a miracle too big to come into my life..