Your First ever Smile

Your dad was working with the forces and just as you were born, he was to leave for a year and half long sailing in the sea. Obviously it was heart breaking for me and you r dad as we both wanted to be with you together, especially when you had come after such a difficult time. You were born on 21st Jan and he had to leave on 24th Feb. With every passing day your dad's heart ached only more and more. You were getting cuter and cuter and he just couldn't imagine a life without you. He would wake for mid night feedings, try to wrap you, put you to bed, bathe you, take you for a stroll and every time you even spit up (which is very normal for babies), he would look at all of us like, 'What have you done to my baby'. You would always have this intense look on you face and he would keep asking when will she smile back at me.

The morning that he was leaving, I was very tearful and just as he drove away, suddenly I felt some sort of strength. I did not know where it came from coz all of the past one month I was just wondering how am I going to handle all by myself. I came back to my room and I was changing your diapers and there was a small bout of sadness that came over me and I looked at you. Believe me, you smiled back at me. That was your first smile ever. I called your dad immediately and told him what you did and I could hear him go silent at his end. I am sure he had tears in his eyes. That evening he has gone and begged and borrowed some internet connection from someone on the ship and when I was chatting with him on gtalk, this was the status message on his messenger ' a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there Aaliyah's smile was first born '

Till date and its four years now and its still the same status message.