“Go ahead, open it!”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to sleep, baby?”
“Just this last paragraph and I’m done. But what did you say right now?”
“Like, when are you going to sleep?”
“No. Before that? What did you say?”
“What did I say? Did I say anything?”
“Goodness me! You don’t remember what you said seconds ago?” She cachinnated.
“Don’t ridicule me. I’m half asleep! I haven’t even opened my eyes.”
“I know. But never seen anyone blabber in their sleep!”
“Maybe I’m not blabbering. Wait! Did I say something like: ‘open it’?”
“You said, ‘Go ahead, open it.’”
“That explains it!”
“Here, look at me dear.”
“No, I don’t wanna open my eyes yet. You know, uh, I can… I can see this image in front of me: We’re at some fair; you, me and Adira. It’s some kind of a fair. We’re playing Bingo and Adi’s won something and I’m telling her to see what she’s won. So the words ‘Go ahead, open it’!”
“It seems you’re equally excited as Adi about the carnival visit tomorrow! Perhaps that’s why you’re thinking about it.”
“Well, that’s okay! I have had dreams earlier. It’s just that I usually don’t remember dreams! It’s like… I know it’s a dream. I know I’m describing it to you! I know you’re here, and you’re here for real! But I’m still in the dream!”
An awkward silence followed.
“You there?”, he inquired.
“Yes. Yes, I’m right here. Just don’t know what to say. Well, nothing’s wrong with you for sure. I’d say you better have a good sleep, ‘cause we’re going to have a tough time running after Adi at the carnival tomorrow.”
He felt a hand stroke his forehead, running through his hair. It felt good. He could sleep now.
“Daddy, wake up! It’s Saturday, you promised us. We’re going to the carnival today! Yuppieeeee!!!”
Nothing can be compared to the bliss of being woken up by your daughter jumping on your bed. He laughed as he remembered his friend's words, 'Any fool can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Daddy!'
Nothing can be compared to the bliss of being woken up by your daughter jumping on your bed. He laughed as he remembered his friend's words, 'Any fool can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Daddy!'
The day passed with more of such cheers from Adi.
The excitement had reached the pinnacle by the evening. And the drive to the carnival was chaotic as expected.
"Daddy, I want to go to the Ferris wheel!
Papa, I so want a Candy floss.
Can I play the Water gun game?"
The joy on her face was transcendent. Balloon shoot, Whac-a-mole, SkeeBall, all accrued smiles, on both her face and his.
“Papa, I want to play Bingo!”, came Adira with an electrifying smile on her face.
“Ok Adi, let’s play.” Yes it was a déjà vu!
The game went on. Caller called, “Four, Eight. Forty-eight.”
“Daddy, I got the top line across!”, jumped Adira.
The Caller summoned her and said, “We’ve got a winner for straight line across!”
Adi came down beaming with a red box in her hand.
“Go ahead, open it!”
Neha stared at him with a smile.
But all he could think of was Dan Wilcox' words:
I don’t care how poor a man is; if he has family, he’s rich.
It was a weird pun in saying that he was living in a dream!
