Moon and Michelle
This is the story of a little girl's moon love....
Michelle turned 2 last Wednesday; she is sweet like a candy, while notorious like a monster. This little monster loves to play with cars with her Dad and has no love for dolls or teddies. Sounds strange, but that is how she has been so far. This worries Nina, while Ron is happy turning her into daddy’s girl. At this age, when most of the kids are unable to speak, and just blabber; Michelle has a clear speech. She loves to talk, while her favorite pass time is talking to the moon.
Michelle has a great love for shapes, and the circle has been her favorite. Probably, that is the reason why she loves the moon so much. Michelle wants to catch the moon and keep him with her forever. That is her love for her best friend, yes, best friend because Michelle can speak with the moon for hours and she loves to share everything with him right from candies to her favorite car, and her best friend returns her all the candies and cars. This makes Michelle happiest.
The poor moon will not say a word even when Michelle would put the blame of her unfinished food on him. Michelle would eat whatever she wanted and she could, while the rest goes to the moon. All she had to do was just toss the food at the moon and scream aloud, “Mummy, the moon didn’t finish the food. See, he spilled it. Can you say, “Moon, you are very naughty”? Now, that is the great friendship of innocent moon and monstrously cute Michelle.
Michelle loves everything that’s round, be it a round cookie, her mom’s round hair tie, or a round car tire. Even when Michelle is eating her favorite alphabet cookies, she will store all Os, while finishing the rest; and cling to it too for as long as she could.
Higher…. Higher…. Daddy…. Higher…. To the moon…, Michelle was screaming out of joy as Ron was pushing the swing higher. Here you go my brave little princess, said Ron. Nina was watching all this sitting at the corner bench in the park.
Nina screamed, “Ron, No… she is only little”. Do not swing her that high; she might fall.
Ron: Oh, don’t worry about it sweetheart. She’s my brave girl. It’s these few gorgeous warm days when we can take her out. Let her enjoy herself.
I do not understand why these men don’t listen. He was spoiling me girl. Look at what she got in her sand buckets, all cars and tools, while the Barbie I got her last week is still packed. She doesn’t even look at it and has been jumping over it. I have been showing her Disney princess movies, but she does not like them either, said Nina, clenching her fingers. She was sharing all this with Ruby, her neighbor.
It’s all right said, Ruby while giving her the water bottle.
Ruby: Relax Nina, have some water. It is perfectly fine if Michelle chooses cars over dolls. That’s nothing you should be worried about. Just let her be on her own. Let’s take it this way, Michelle is brave and adventurous. Be proud of your girl, she’s adventurous and not like you who is even scared of going down the slide. You cannot do what she can. So, let her be herself.
Nina: I don’t know. I just don’t want her to be boy like. Michelle can be brave even being a girl.
Ruby: Michelle is only little. Her love for cars doesn’t turn her into a boy. It is okay if she has different interests. If you really want her to develop interests like yours, why don’t you spend more time with Michelle? You have buried yourself so much in the work that once you are done with it, you don’t have any time left for the girl. It’s Ron, who is with her all the time and probably, that’s the reason she doesn’t understand dolls, and has interests like that of Ron.
Nina: Maybe, you’re right Ruby. Let me see what I can do.
Nina kept tossing and turning in bed the whole night worried, how to spend more time with Michelle so that she is willing to be like Nina and starts developing interests like her own. Nina recalled how Michelle talks to the moon in the evenings and at that time, she didn’t want to listen to anything, and how she asks the moon to come to her home and play with her. Nina nodded and said, I know what you like, girl. Let’s catch the moon tomorrow. Nina kissed Michelle’s forehead and cuddled her sleeping princess.
The next morning, Nina got up a bit earlier. She had plans for taking Michelle for a walk so that they both can watch the moon together and play for some time. Before Nina could say, “Wake up princess”, she found Michelle standing on the chest at the very corner of the window, gazing moon and laughing. Nina loved the view and grabbed Michelle in her lap. My little princess had a good sleep? Let’s go and catch the moon. Michelle started looking for her shovel that she uses in the sand.
Michelle was super excited. Said, Mummy, I will scoop out moon with my shovel and put in my bucket.
Nina laughed at it, and replied, “alright, my brave princess”. Let’s go.
Both Michelle and Nina were walking in the garden. Nina was constantly looking at her watch, while Michelle was waving her shovel at the moon, but all her attempts failed. She started screaming, “Moon not coming, moon not coming; naughty moon”. Nina didn’t have much time with her. She somehow convinced Michelle to get inside so that she could leave for work, while dropping Michelle to the daycare that was on her way.
In the evening, Nina finds Michele screaming from the backyard door. Mummy, look moon is up, the sky. It looks like an egg.
Nina found it weird and said, it’s just moon Michelle.
Michelle: Look Mummy, “it’s got two eyes”
Nina tried, but couldn’t see it. “Moon doesn’t have eyes honey”
Michelle: Look at its nose
Nina still couldn’t see it. “Moon doesn’t have a nose either”
Michelle again said; look at its mouth.
This time, Nina was a bit irritated and said, “Supper time Michelle, let’s wash hands”. Ron was watching all this while fiddling around with his mobile. He took Michelle in his lap and screamed, “Look at the moon, it has got a beautiful face like Michelle, it’s got pretty eyes like my doll, and a pretty nose too, just like my princess”. Every time Michelle said something, Ron would agree and appreciate her. They both had a great time talking to the moon together.
Nina has been listening to all this, and she realized, what she was missing and why she couldn’t see features on the moon that were visible to those tiny eyes of her little princess. Nina needed to view the moon from a little kid’s eye to be able to understand the little girl. She needed to be a part of Michelle’s world, even if most of the things were just imaginary. Next several days were crazy busy for Nina and she couldn’t spare time out of her schedule. However, now that her project achieved the first milestone, she could do moon gazing with her princess.
Michelle was again talking to the moon this evening; it was the crescent moon.
Michelle: Look Mummy, It’s a swing. There’s a car swinging on the moon.
This time, Nina didn’t counter her and said, “Oh yes, it’s a big one”. She noticed a big smile on Michelle’s face, and said, “and that’s my princess driving that car, showing the birthday Barbie to her”. Michelle looked at the doll and said, “it’s me?…..and smiled”. Nina had a smile like never before and was happy that Michelle could relate her to Barbie and she liked her. Michelle hugged Nina, that made Nina feel better and she had a sense of achievement now.
The next morning, she saw Michelle at the window; with Barbie in her arms and a tiny car that she clings on to all the time.
This was the happiest moment for Nina, as she had learnt a lesson that if she wanted her princess to be like her, she had to be a part of her girl’s world first. All this while, Michelle avoided Nina’s toys because neither did Michelle have trust in Nina, nor did she have quality time with her. Nina is happier now, and so is Michelle.
Michelle continues her imagination and love for the moon, while Ron and Nina join her too in her imagination and they gaze at the moon with Michelle every day, where they have a new story each day. Nina has been capturing all this in her diary and she plans to share these with Michelle when she grows into a big girl.