It took a while for my sisters to finally grow bored of throwing me around, and now I can finally discover what is in those books. I waddle down the hallway slowly making my way to the study, the closer I get, the more excited I feel, but it seems my thoughts were a bit naïve.
As I approach the study, I see a tall slim figure standing idly in front of the study as though waiting for my arrival. As soon as I see her, I knew that my sisters spent a lot more time playing with me than I thought because mamma daisy would not be here to take me away if it wasn't late.
Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. I baby walk my way up to mamma daisy and raise my arms as a sign that I'm ready to go, it's not like I could escape her even if I tried, so why fuss?
"##@$%%--+" mamma daisy says something that I assume is good from the smile on her face but I can't speak so I'm not sure.
It's a strange feeling, being able to think in language but not knowing any languages. For example, what is a language. I instinctually know it is a form of communication but for the life of me I could not say a single word of it.
I wouldn't even really call what I do thinking in language; it is more like how when you were a kid, you understood what two plus two was without actually having the words to say it.
That's one of the main reasons I am so interested in books because maybe learning the written word will make it easier for me to speak it. An assumption that is already paying forward, I was starting to get a basic grasp of what she was saying to me. Though still very rudimentary, it's still the first step in understanding the language.
Mamma Daisy took me down to the family washroom, where I and my sisters we're washed together. It was my favourite part of the day, being able to wash of all my sweat while at the same time being pampered by all his mom's and his sisters.
After giving the children a nice wash, the mothers brought them to the dining room where his father was seated and waiting for them. Everybody got seated with mamma Daisy and my mother to my father's left and mamma Lina and my sisters to his right, with me sitting comfortably in his lap.
The servants began to serve the food and everybody started talking to each other while my father helped me stuff my face with some delicious baby mush. At some point in the conversation, everybody broke into laughter, and I noticed they were all staring at me while I ate.
What was so funny? No matter how hard I listened, I could barely deduce what they were saying, with my curiosity mounting, a bolt of inspiration suddenly struck me. Taking some of the baby food in my father's hand I began to write messily on the table; babies don't have a lot of coordination.
*what's so funny?* I wrote on the table cloth, and then my father who was laughing along went silent.
He stared at the writing on the table and back at me, who was sucking the yummy baby food off my fingers. It seemed everybody had noticed father's odd behaviour and was asking him what was wrong; they all looked worried. My father ignored what they were saying for the moment before writing on a piece of paper that he pulled out of thin air with a pen whose origins where equally suspect.
*when did you learn how to write son? * he wrote somewhat hurriedly.
*while I was in your study; I learnt it from the books. * I replied sloppily on the same piece of paper with baby mush.
*nobody taught you? * father wrote, and his reply hit me like a sack of bricks.
It was so simple I could have simply asked someone to teach me, then I wouldn't have had to waste all that time. I may not know the words, but I could have simply walked up to one of the adults with a book in hand.
*I didn't think of that* I wrote while feeling grateful for being dark-skinned so my blush didn't show.
Father fell into a contemplative silence after that; then, he began explaining what was happening to the other members of the family. A look of shock began to spread on the faces of all the members of the family and candy's face was becoming especially terrifying.
She stared at me as though I was the most delicious bowl of baby mush in existence, after a few moments, it became so bad I had to do something.
*father, why is candy staring at me? * I wrote on the paper drawing my father's attention away from the conversation.
After reading what I wrote, father raised an eyebrow in question, while shifting his gaze to candy who didn't even notice his line of sight.
Papa let out a bark of laughter, drawing her attention away from me and allowing me to relax a little. He began to explain what I wrote since they couldn't see it from this angle, a blush appeared on candy's face and sandy burst into laughter.
*don't worry your sister just loves you a great deal and gets carried away sometimes. * father wrote with a warm smile on his face.
Really? That's why she's staring? Because she loves me? Going over it in my mind I really can't remember Candice ever carrying me, is that why she stares so intently?
I contemplated for a moment and decided maybe showing Candice some love will calm her down a little.
"ca... ca....can...Candice hug?" I manage to mumble out while raising my arms in her direction.
The dining room went silent again, followed by a sound that could only be described as inhuman.
"Eeeeeeek!!" Candice screamed at the top of her lungs before diving across the table and gathering me in her arms. Luckily father was so big that there was enough space in his lap for both of them.
Her sudden movement left me a little shell shocked, so when I was able to reorient myself my first instinct was to start crying but just when I was about to let loose I saw her face. Candice was smiling........ Let me repeat Candice was SMILING!!!
For the first time in my short life I saw my sister Candice smile and at the young age of two I realised that even if the way she held me hurt, as long as she had that smile on her face I would never do anything to make her sad.
In that moment I came to understand that I love my family much more than I thought, and no matter what pain I had to endure for them, I would do it happily.