‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

I could hear muffled noises, then suddenly in one go the voices became very clear.  I was still feeling extremely drowsy even now.   I could feel few hands handling me, cleaning me up.  Suddenly there was a cold splash of water on my body.

I could hear a very, very familiar voice asking the people around me something.  The people answered the person’s query in hushed tones.  Something wasn’t just right.  I could not exactly point out what.

Suddenly, I could hear few more voices in the room, again those voices also sounded very familiar, as if I have heard them before.  They were shouting loudly, seemed angry!  I didn’t understand what was going on.  All of a sudden I couldn’t move my hands and legs freely.  It seemed those people who were cleaning me had tied me.  I wanted to be free.

Then the most wonderful thing happened.  I felt a warm touch, first on my cheeks and then my entire body.  Ah!  that touch and smell was such a bliss.  But when my cheeks touched the warm body, I could feel my cheeks getting wet.  It wasn’t like the cold splash earlier!

Then I could open my eyes better, decipher things better.  That warm body and touch was my mother’s.  She had just given birth to me.  My cheeks got wet by her tears.  I was swaddled by the nurse, so I couldn’t move my limbs freely.

Later, I realized that all others from the family; my dad, my daadi, many more relatives were angry and disappointed that I was born.  They were sad, unhappy on the birth of third daughter in their family.  They were expecting a boy this time you see.

But I was very happy, happy to come in this world, feel my mother’s touch.  While I and may be my mother were happy, everyone else was grieving.

PS:  This is a fiction.