59 Minutes of Grace

They gave her wrapped in a white cotton towel, and I looked at her for the first time, and I couldn't take my glance away from the little shining eyes which kept gazing me. I’d never seen eyes, as beautiful as these in my life ever. I treasured those lovely 59 minutes which followed in my life.

There comes a tale, a very interesting tale in every man’s life, and often many such tales have their roots in what and how these men grew up when they were boys. A boys life is as interesting as how makes it to be. The things he learns, the values he seeds, and the knowledge he garners. And that transformation from boys to men sometimes means the most in many peoples lives. A lot happens during these transformations. Many beautiful changes occur deep inside that little soul, and inside every strong, rigid, handsome man out there, deep inside lives a child who wishes to see more, to hear more and play more.

Me and Michael have been friends for 25 years now, we both joined school together and every passing year, life got a little fancier and eager to know more. We shared the same class year after year, and those were the days, we used to fight for those little pencils and the erasers he used to hide. The fights we used to have were a regular every single day. During the breaks it was always us who used to create havoc in the school.

Once while the math teacher was taking class, the school clerk came over to our class and informed us, that a huge honey comb was found near our class window shade and that none of the kids are allowed to go near it. It was more like a message of caution for the kids. When you tell kids, not to do something, it was always ‘JUST DO IT’ for us!

In the lunch break me and Michael religiously went near the window with a group of the so called courageous boys and threw a pencil at the honey comb, and what followed was a nightmare which ate us up for the next full week. In a total 14 kids were stung and 2 suffered nasty wounds in their lips and noses. When the kids were investigated, all the fingers pointed only at 2 souls; Me and Michael! We both were punished and asked to bring our parents and the matter went on for many weeks….. We both were such brats.

We both successfully finished school and joined in different Universities, once in a month, we used to hang around and talk and share all our boy stories, all the little mess ups we always ended up doing. Life as we like it, doesn’t stay the same, as years pass, so does many things which are embedded onto life… The little aroma of life keeps swaying in different directions. I finished University and left to Canada, while he finished his and left for New Zealand, where he joined Avionics and stayed on there for a whole 5 years.

Many a times, we both called each other and kept sharing and holding on to our dear friendships which still lingered strong amongst the many years which have faded and passed over by. Often our stories would wind up with girls, family, friends, and most often we used to share about whom we have met in our separate lives, the tales of people who have impressed our lives in ways of their own. And Michael often kept taking about a girl who he met there in University and kept mentioning her sweetness to many a times. I didn’t ask him too much about it, but it just kept happening every single time we were over the phone.

One fine day, on a chill winter morning, Michael called me up and when I answered the phone, he said “She’s the one”…….. I smiled on the other side and said… Tell me more! He told me all about her, her name, her character, her wellness, the complete story. For me, Jenny was a quite an impressive profile. She is a catholic who is also from India, well actually from Delhi, she too lives in NZ and has been studying with Mike for the last 3 years. And after listening to the whole story, I just said “Well, I am happy for you Mikey…” Am happy my dear old friend finally managed to score a very fine and first goal in life. To get a girl the way you liked her to be. I asked him on what’s the next big plan. After a happy 6 months, Michael got married to Jenny in Chennai. They moved to India once and for all.

On a sunny February morning, I tapped on the same wooden door which I remembered tapping 15years back. Waves of nostalgia flowed when I saw the door, and Mikey opened the door, and we both hugged each other so tight. As I entered inside the house, I looked around the house and slowly sat in the couch which was in front of me. Jenny came in and welcomed me and she looked very happy and blessed just like how I saw her in the wedding.

5 minutes passed, and Michael came inside the living room, with a neatly packaged white fur ball like object. He handed the little fur ball slowly to me, I held it slowly and wrapped in bright white cotton, was his little baby girl. With soft curly hair and bright black eyes, she gazed at me with so much wonder. To look back into her eyes, my mind was speaking a million words without moving a single muscle… She had such beautiful eyes. I held her carefully, and with my fingers slowly stirred her little curly hair, and I held her little fingers and when I moved it, she slowly raised her little hands, and grabbed my finger tight and didn’t let it go.

While I held her little fingers, in the depth of my heart memories ran rearwards of the glorious moments I and Michael have shared and relished as little young boys, the moments of fun we savored and the years which passed while we wore that scout uniforms and those cute little grey half pants. I remembered the days we ran around the trees, throwing stones on rival boys and days when stole chalk from the teachers draws. Life’s most enjoying moments as friends have rolled on to bring me into this unrehearsed moment of my life. A realization which I can’t understand how it is to feel as a father, may be it will take its own time to understand when I myself one myself. As a human being, I love and wait for that moment, when I could hold my little daughter in my hands and look into her eyes, and may be that moment, this whole wide world would just mean nothing in front of the angel I hold, I wait every single day for that one moment. Well, for now; me holding the little daughter of my best friend brings me back untold memories; memories which she cannot relate or would not understand. Thoughts of her about Mike would not even be close to what I have of him in mind. For me he will always be that little charming kid who I first sat with in the kindergarten, holding hands and running into the play ground, sharing cookies and stealing chalks. Most of all, Michael will remain as one of my best friends in my life. A friend who I made a million memories from the time I was a little boy. Our Friendship has been bliss, and “Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in excellence; for these wish well alike to each other qua good, and they are good in themselves.”

The journey of transformation from boys to men, is an unsung rhythm which flows from the lives we cherished as little boys then, to the much stronger, responsible men we turn into now. It becomes into a journey which brings them from little boys, young lovers, and faithful husbands to respected dads. Their journeys are the ones which gather them strength for what it to come and serve for the families they make of their own.

While holding the baby, I looked at Mike and smiled, and slowly called him over and handed it over to him, and she still didn't let me go, I gently raised her hand and let go…. She was just a beautiful kid. I looked at my watch, and it clicked close to an hour. I beamed and bid goodbye to both Mike and Jenny, and stepped out of the little green door with a mind flooded with blitheness, joy and reminiscences of a life I have well cherished.

The memories of little Daisy, never departed my mind. The moment they gave her wrapped in a white cotton towel, and I looked at her for the first time, and I couldn't take my glance away from the little shining eyes which kept gazing me. I’d never seen eyes, as beautiful as these in my life ever. I treasured those lovely 59 minutes which followed in my life.