My dad tells me that a wise man is someone who could talk both to a 6 year old and a 60 year old. I am not sure about 60 year olds - but I feel really at home with the 6 year olds. Once their travel sickness was over and their daily quota of sleep is done, my nieces and nephews sprang into action. 6 year old Devi, the eldest and stoutest of all, wouldn't stop hitting me and I had to catch her before she runs away. If I do, I win or else ... well, she tries again. Her younger sister who's probably just 3, found it equally amusing but she wasn't too swift and ended up getting caught everytime. She loved the game nevertheless. 8 year old kannan is still shy - he would sit in a corner and smile at me (reminding me so much of how I was when I was young). So, I would sit next to him and talk about silly nothings. But the sweetest of all was Aditya - kannan's brother - who saw me once and told his mom that he likes "this mama (uncle)" a lot. We went around a lot - he introduced me to his dad, mom (who I knew 11 years before he did) and everytime he gets beaten up by the girls, he would sweetly come and tell me, "Rathish mama, that girl is really bad. She keeps hitting me". The best is when Devi tries to hit me, "No strength-alle (isn't it). Look at her sweating by hitting you." and when that didn't dissuade her, he practically stood before me (this 4 year old little thing) and ordered her not to do it any more. Boy, you should see him talk!

Later before we were about to part (after the marriage), he asked his mom to get him close to me, took my palm kissed it and then kissed my cheek and smiled - When does one lose this art of expressing one's love so beautifully and tenderly!! (probably, the first time he gets slapped by a girl who didn't quite understand probably - No! that was not personal experience)

- posted by Super Ted @ 1:50 AM