FAMILY

FAMILY

Being a single working mom can take a toll on you and leave you with little time for other things, including soccer practice for the apple of your eye, your child. So, when my six-year-old daughter, Amara, notified me about my desired presence at her try-outs at her kindergarten, I inwardly groaned. This would mean crunching on a deadline here or there, but I was determined to make it this time. This year I had vowed to make no more sorry excuses of not having enough time or turning up late for parent-teacher meetups.

With a beating heart, I drove up just in time for the try-outs as the tiny tots took to the field.  I could hear Amara jabbering with her close friend, Aryan as they stood in line, one pushing the other ever so cheekily, when the coach was not looking.

So, it was obvious that I felt a dead weight in my stomach as Aryan’s entire five-person family walked up to the stands, jostling the others for space. The Mehra’s had come in all flamboyance, with Mrs Mehra dragging her twins along the grassy path and Mr Mehra wearing a “#1 Dad” cap, waving enthusiastically at his son. To my horror, Mr Mehra was being accompanied by his grandfather and someone who could have only been a grand-aunt. I stared at the entourage as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

Of course, being a single mom also meant that I was the only one who was always around for Amara. I wasn’t sure if she missed her father or that my brothers, her uncles never had much time for her, as they worked a double shift most days. I had offered to step in on more than one occasion as a Father/Grandfather/Uncle/Brother but I’m sure even I couldn’t juggle all those balls, even if I considered myself Wonder Woman.

Aryan was beaming at his extended family as he pointed them out to Amara, exclaiming, “There they are! That’s my whole family!” I couldn’t bear to look at her face and lowered my head to avoid seeing the disappointment in her face.

What I heard next left me rooted to the spot with hot tears brimming in my eyes. In her tiny, squeaky voice, Amara had told her bestie, “There she is! That’s my whole family!”