Mother

 After school in the evening, I went home with my daughter. Since I lived in the village, I was going home after school. Pratiksha and Naina were walking in front of me. Little did they know that I was coming back. So their chat started. Suddenly Naina said, "How wonderful it would have been if Manisha ma'am was our mother and Sunil sir was our father. No!" Patiksha confirmed it. I laughed.

Naina, my dear student; her name in school is Pratiksha. But there was still a very naughty girl with the same name in my class; she was also Pratiksha. Similar in name but opposite in nature. So we called this quiet girl by her nickname, Naina. Very quiet and soft-spoken, Naina soon joined my group of favorite students. . Be it competition or study, Naina was at my house till night. When her father used to come to pick her up, he would jokingly say, 'You should adopt our Naina. She stays at your house more now'. Mohini, Pratiksha, and Naina were the trio. Only Naina is calm in it. The other two were very naughty. So their day was not worth it without being punished by me once every day. But Naina never had to be punished.It was usual for them to tell me when they were hungry, take the house key from me, eat lunch, and come back to school with everything. Whenever I fell sick, they would come home immediately and make me rest by doing all the household chores. It was also known in their homes where their daughters would be if they were not at home during the day. So they can also rest assured. Naina went to college, and her mother died of cancer. I felt very bad. Naina and her elder sister are unmarried. Father is passionate by nature. Whenever I met Naina, her face and mine would light up. "Come home, dear," I insisted, and "sure, madam," was her assurance. But that time never came. And one day it was heard that Naina got married of her own choice (a love marriage). If you think about what's wrong with it, But in rural areas, and especially with a quiet and aloof girl like Naina doing it, there might have been more discussion. I felt both admiration and surprise. Of course, with time, everyone calmed down. Naina's mother-in-law was a teacher. Once, we met in a meeting. "Naina misses you a lot. She always says Manisha madam is my favorite madam," said her mother-in-law.

"Naina is my daughter. Take care of her. She is very good. And since she is not a mother, give her the love of a mother." She smiled at my words and said, "Naina is not my daughter-in-law but my best friend." I felt good about her speech. Once, I had a long talk with Naina on the phone. The child was very happy. The decision was right. I was very happy with this.

In between, she got the happy news that she was going to be a mother. Her baby was born during Corona. So it was not possible to go to see the baby. But I saw the photo with her baby on WhatsApp. It was a very sweet photo. Sweet baby and her face full of love. It felt great. Naina, who saw me as a mother until yesterday, became a mother herself today. Transference of motherhood as well. But still, the same innocent Naina appears in front of my eyes.