It was a big day for the family. The newest member had come home from the hospital. Every one surrounding the little baby
was busy showering heaps of praises on her. Some said the shape of her nails
suggest remarkable wisdom. Some said the way her lips quivered signifies a
future nightingale. Every thing about the baby extracted some superlative from
the family members. The domestic aid Malati too came rushing by. After managing
to squeeze her diminutive frame through the tightly formed circle of family
members she got a glimpse of the baby’s face. The baby contorted her face into
some expression which Malati imagined to be a smile. Her heart filled up with
joy. She too had become a mother three years back and ever since the sight of little babies aroused in her a sensation of boundless joy. “She is so pretty...she looks so similar to my baby,” she commented.
Sudden silence descended in the room.
The entire family swung around, their eyebrows knit in
annoyance. How on earth could she compare the appearance of their beloved child
with that of her own child?
The mothers in the room should have known that Malati had
just given the child the biggest compliment that she was capable of…she had just
called the child perfect.
