What a coincidence!

As I slowly wean off sleep to finally drag myself out of bed, mummy (now here's where we have issues! They are all mummy, so I have to be specific!) i.e M'ma is right there on my face as I lay on the bed coz I'm battling to get out of it.

She is all tears, blocked nose and half dressed. Basic instinct and a quick universal mothers' thermometer i.e the back of the palm ;-) reveals an onset fever, coz we normally wake up with warm bodies but hers was extra warm.

"Muuuum..." "Yes mummy" "I'm not feeling very well..." "Just looking at you tells me so... Sorry mum!"

"How are feeling?" "Not very good. I have a headache and my nose is blocked and I'm hot." Don't you just love it when the young ones are able to tell you what it is they are feeling when they are unwell instead of second guessing and building up anxiety?

"I'm not well mummy, I don't think I can go to school... I'm I going to go to school?"

Now if the symptoms of 'unwell' weren't that visible on her, I'd say she's pulling a fast one on me just so she can skip school, coz they know how strict I am with such cases. I'm fully awake now and hold her close to assess her blocked nose and hot head.

"No mummy, you definitely won't go to school today. You will bath then rest then we go to hospital, sawa mum? Pole..." At this point she brightens up a little on hearing that. What a coincidence! I don't even want to think that had I refused and forced her to go to school after brushing it off as just a common cold/flu, given her the drugs from my 'home chemist' then get worse while there, I would then get called to go to school... God forbid!!! Knock on wood!!!

All this is after a quick mental note that the evening before, she was the one who announced that she has never seen me cry. Call me superstitious but this revelation scared me. The night before, yo very fine and engaging in small talk then the following morning you are unwell. To make it worse, you don't have to be told, you see it for yoself! What a coincidence!

After the normal morning routine of prepping the girls and finally drop them off to school, I get back home to find M'ma has finished having her breakfast. I then give her some paracetamol for her fever and headache, then put her in bed to rest.

I later come for her at mid-morning to go to the hospital, where she got to see the doctor and have her medication. By the time we leave the hospital, it was time to pick up her other sisters from school! I tell you, our hospitals are a WHOLE day affair!!! Now that's a story for another day...

Tears...

"Muuum"... "Yes baby..." I respond to the baby of the house.

"How come I've never seen you cry...?" Left eyebrow rises immediately.

"M'ma yo lying!" snapped my mum almost yelling at her! "You've ever seen mummy cry. Mummy cries all the time!"

Now you have my FULL attention! Huh?! Excuse you! Now my brow is further raised, tilted head, puzzled look, all directed to my mum! Ehe... giving her the 'now that you know better, kindly enlighten us!' look.

"Yeah, mummy cries a lot!" concures her elder sister. Now both my brows are raised as I shift glances at all of them! Giving them all the 'Heh! Oookey...' kinda look!

"Whenever there's a happy movie/moment and its all mushy lovie dovie... she always cries! Whenever there is a sad moment too, her tears roll faster!" ..."Yeah..., waaah, mummy si you have many tears!"

At this point I laugh so hard and loud! Whaaat???!!! I can't believe we are having this discussion.

In true sense, they are kinda right. I never suppress my emotions. I cry it out. I release whatever empathy feeling I experience at that moment.

Be it tears of joy, gratitude, disbelief, sorrow, grief, the list is endless! I release it. I cry it out. That's me, and I am glad my family knows that.

There are many a times Darling has told me to please try not to be emotional or cry too much!. ;-))) I know... What can I say, ...I'm only human.

He knows me well enough to warn me to guard myself, guard my emotions, guard my well being. Jazakah Allah to all of them!

The girls continue to talk animatedly about my tears as I sit back and nod at each knowingly at what each is contributing to the topic.

All this was brought about by some small talk over dinner and it was rather too quiet, when M'ma decided to break the silence. :-)))