My First Memory

My first memory

The sun was setting. The sky was faint reddish purple in colour. It was more like an orange bulb that had been switched on in the sky. It was unlike any other evening I have seen. Maybe it had to be so beautiful coz it was going to be my first memory. I was some two years and a couple of months old. But I remember this scene so perfectly as if it had happened yesterday. My parents were posted in Kolhapur then. This was a small, quiet colony in Kolhapur. We used to stay in the company’s quarters. Neways, coming back to that particular evening. My parents were taking their evening walk in the colony park. Wide open space all around. Not many trees for a park actually. Only rows of pink & yellow flowers. Some children were playing around. I don’t quite remember what they were playing. But I do remember throwing stones at them. A freak show in making. I was my daddy pet. I loved going out with them. Back to the walk in the park. Every 5 mins they would meet another couple. I was really irritated. How dare someone come and eat into our quality family time. When we stopped the third time to talk to one woman, I couldn’t take it anymore. I kicked that aunty. For some fumy reason she was amused and she bent down and started pulling my cheeks. Uff. I still remember how annoyed I was. Finally that walrus decided to go home and we continued with our walk. There was a pond in the middle of the park. It had completely dried up. My parents were sitting beside the pool and having a conversation while I was generally running round and round. After sometime I just caught my Mom looking at me. She had the sweetest smile ever on her. She called me near her and hugged me tightly, kissed my on my cheeks and asked “ Do you want to listen to your brother. Then gently she put my ear next to her tummy. Suddenly all the sounds around me drowned out. No wind, no birds chirping, no children shouting, no nothing. Absolute stillness. My ears still pressed to my mom’s tummy wanting to hear my brother…..Well, I didn’t hear anything. Didn’t even feel the kick. But in those few moments I felt the peace and a sense of family. I felt complete. We were complete. And that’s my first memory. Not the beautiful evening, not that colourful garden, not the pool, not running behind kids and throwing stones at them., not even my parents ….it was my brother. Aditya. My best friend in the whole wide world. I have never told him this story. He would laugh.