Nasiba Jumabayeva

Your Daughter

Angelina opens her eyes and listens hoping to hear footsteps of her father on this special day of her birthday, he usually knocks her door at 7 in the morning and brings flowers. He sits on the side of her bed and smiles. When he smiles his hazel colour eyes gets even brighter, warmer and cleaner like a mirror and you feel like the whole world is right there. He kisses gently first on her right cheek and then on her left and says: Happy Birthday my princess!! “Did you invite your friends to your castle across the bridge? “

No dad, I didn’t think that I would celebrate my birthday this year!” I don’t feel like it, I feel sad..” Dad replies, “I know you are sad because you didn’t get these flowers today!” He gave her a beautiful bunch of twelve pink roses to match her age today, “I love them Daddy! Thank you!” She jumps out of bed and hugs her father tight “

“So would you be interested to start calling your friends to show what you got for your birthday?” Mark asks hopefully. “I already asked your mom to start cooking and make some preparations for the party” – “Yes! You are always good in convincing me, she says through her smile.

He calls Mama, “Lora! Can you come here please?” A petite woman in her forties enters the room smiling, “Did you call me dear? – Yes I did! Mark replies and just hugs his wife on her waist, she is way shorter than him and looking at this couple you would think…coffee with milk. She has white skin, she is half his size. Mark is a tall man with olive skin. Angelina looks at them and smiles with so much love in her eyes thinking when I grow up I really want a man beside me just like my dad! Lora lifts Angelina in her arms and they both go to the living room, where as is their tradition, Angelina’s mom tells her story about the special day…

I woke up at and already at 7:00 in the morning we were on our way to see my doctors, your dad soothed me and asked you “are you ready to come to this world” and you were born at 8:30 in the morning! When the nurses brought you, I said them: Oh no! It is a girl! I was expecting a boy! “Ha-ha-ha! Well your mom… all throughout her pregnancy she was it would be a boy! But what we think does not always happen, it can get even better than what we expect! He blows a kiss at Angelina.

Lora continues “and when I looked at you, I was shocked and said: Oh no! You changed her. Not only is she not a boy, she has dark skin! She is definitely not mine!! Ha-ha-ha! Laughed Angelina “Of cause you forgot that your lovely husband has beautiful dark skin”! Everyone laughed. “Yes! True. I didn’t think about that.
Because both your sisters and your brother were born with pale skin like mine, she smiles- I didn’t expect that, you would be darker!

Your dad returned at 9 am just right after you were born with beautiful roses so many of them it was huge basket, I couldn’t see his face I could just see his fingers trying hold this basket and bring it into the room. It made the room look so beautiful and so bright. And of course I didn’t care that I got a girl instead of boy! I was so full of love and your daddy winked and promised me each year this day would be the same…But not this year unfortunately…she takes a deep breath.

Suddenly Angelina wakes to hear a wheezing sound. She looks at her clock. It is 7 am. She wakes up from her deep sleep and rushes out. Is dad OK? asks Angelina with worry in her voice, turning to go to her father’s room, not even waiting for her mother to respond. Another old memory flashes before her eyes of when she was two, sitting on his lap and playing with his teeth. He would pretend that he wanted to bite her and she would quickly take her finders out of his mouth. She has heard this story too many times before. Usually he would come from work and pick her up, walk to the living room and sit on the old rocking chair which was covered with a baby blue and white blanket. He would put her on his lap and they both looked at the bridge together from their window. They would play that game, how she giggled and laughed. Even though she knew that he wouldn’t really bite but still she would scream and rush to take off her finger from his white teeth.

But today the strong man is lying on bed hopeless and weak. His feet are almost blue and swollen, his knees were weak he was not anymore that strong man. He is in pain. Just pain just pain after this accident at work.. she tries to not cry and came closer to her dad. His teeth look not so white but he is still serene in the darkness that morning. Angelina feels hurt watching him. He is very sick, very weak. I want my strong daddy she thinks. I wish that I would be sick instead of him. She is crying when he turns and spots her in his room by his bedside… He is awake and as soon as he recognizes her, he smiles, “Here is my princess!!!” Happy
birthday!!! He wishes her and she feels the power of his love.