I've never been a mother.
Big sister, yes. As the eldest of seven children, I spent much of my
early adolescence washing diapers, feeding the 'little kids', and
generally making sure that they didn't kill each other. As a result,
my relationship with babies has usually been somewhat utilitarian.
But from time to time, a
baby's charm bores a hole right through my heart.
The other day, I was
standing in line at Pipolinka's, our village bakery. A family was
eating lunch at the one of the round café tables lining the wall.
Two young, dark-haired children munched on croissants. Their mother
sat breast-feeding their infant brother. Their father stood in line
ahead of me. He wore wrap-around sunglasses and a fitted black hat on
his head. His face was tanned and unshaven, and sprouted a little
tuft of beard underneath his lower lip. While the children remained
eating, the mother rose from the table and, with the baby still in
her arms, joined him in line. She was dressed in loose layers of sage
and tan cotton. Her steady green eyes were set far apart in a wide
Slavic face. Her brown hair was roughly cut as if for expediency
rather than style.
She hooked her young baby
underneath her arm, turning him outwards so that he was facing me.
The baby wore an orange and purple jumper. His smooth, plump legs and
feet were bare. He looked at me, then grinned widely, displaying
toothless gums and a soft pink tongue. I grinned back and smooched
the air. Giggling, the baby jiggled up and down, arms and feet
pumping. We fell into the bright blue pool of each other's smiles.
Philippe the baker came
out from behind the counter, wiping his hands on his apron. He leaned
his thin face towards the man. They exchanged a loose hug. He
greeted the mother warmly, then extended his arms to take the baby.
As the child lay in his arms, Philippe bent his head and snuffled its
scalp, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He gently kissed the
baby's head. I wanted to do the same: to drink in that tender,
dizzying scent of innocence and joy.
For Huda, and her baby,
Kareem.
