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“Hello daddy, namaste. I want to… “Rosa stopped when she saw the look on her father’s face, as he put down his newspaper and swung around to face his daughter.

George smiled, “and who is this, Rosa?”

“I was going to introduce you to my bestest friend dad, but when I saw the….”

“The look of surprise dear Rosa is that what you meant to say?”

“No daddy. It was a look of….”

“Well, I’m sorry Rosa dear. It was meant to be a look of surprise

“Hi, hello, namaste, my name is Rosa Blau. I’m eight years old and my favourite movie is Barbie. I have seen it 500 times and I’m a good girl!”

George lowered his newspaper and looked at his youngest daughter as if she had two heads. “What was all that?” he asked as she stood not too far from him with her hands clasped in front of her wearing a silly grin on her face. George had been sitting on the deck of the nest looking out at the peaceful Atlantic Ocean while reading his newspaper, as he did most evenings when he came home from work. That would inevitably lull him to sleep. He was getting close to that tipping point until Rosa came outside and interrupted his flow.

I was 5 and my sister 4. The year was 1954 and my father had been posted to take command of the Third Battalion the Grenadiers. It was the second time he had taken charge of that battalion. The first was in 1947 just after partition in Bombay when he took over command from that last British colonel, Colonel Shebbear.

“Oh, I wish you could’ve been there when he ran.” Dan laughed at his recollection. “You could always tell where he was on the track. He had this long hair flowing behind him. Others with long hair would tie theirs behind in a ponytail or in a braid, but not him, he just let it flow and flow it did. Thick black shoulder length hair flowed behind him majestically as he ran around the track. I wish you had been there.”

I pulled into what looked like the last parking spot in the grocery store car park without having to walk half a mile or so. I pulled out the grocery list from my pocket to glance at it before putting it back. It was a mental test I had developed for myself over past few the years and at which I must admit, I fail miserably.

As I was taking the keys out of the car in preparation of getting out and fighting the hordes in the food aisles, there was a series of sharp knocks on my window. I looked up to see a pint-sized man with sunglasses wrapped around his entire head staring at me. I lowered my window and before I could ask him why he was interrupting my preparation, he blurted out, “you’re parked illegally!”

Dear God, this is me, Rosa. Someone in my school told me I was being rude by talking with you. He said I shouldn’t do that and I should treat you with more respect. I told him you are my friend. Isn’t that right God? You are my friend? Can you hit him with some lightening, so he doesn’t pick on me anymore. Anyway, you’re a good boy, thank you and Amen and oh yes, sleep well.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! wake up. I have to tell you something very important.” Rosa ran into the living room where her father was fast asleep in an armchair closest to a window, after a really hard day at work negotiating a new contract with the Teamsters. He needed to rest once he came home, instead of standing at the door as he normally did waiting for Rosa.  He had collapsed in the chair after giving Sybil a quick peck on the cheek.