Baby Brother

Rositta was four years old, and something magical was about to happen in her world—she was going to be a big sister! Every night, she would press her hands together in prayer, whispering with all her heart:  “Please let my baby brother or sister arrive safely today.”

One sunny morning, her father gently woke her up, a soft excitement in his voice.  “Rositta, Amma just now has had the baby. You have a baby brother!”

Rositta’s eyes sparkled. “Today?! Really?!”

Dressed quickly in her favorite green frock, Rositta was soon seated right in front of her father on his blue Rajdoot motorbike, her tiny hands holding the handlebar like a proud little rider. As they rode through the busy Chennai roads, the wind danced through her hair, and everything felt like an adventure.

They reached the Isabel Hospital in Mylapore, where the air smelled of Dettol, and nurses and ward boys bustled in white uniforms. Rositta held her father’s hand tightly as they walked in, her heart racing with excitement.

Inside her mother’s room, the air was warm and filled with voices—smiling relatives, soft laughter, and joy. Her grandmother, Pooraranamal, lifted Rositta gently to see the tiny baby sleeping in a crib.

“Rosittamaa..... see Rosario,” Amma said softly from the bed.

Rositta looked at the baby, her eyes wide with wonder. Then, she touched the small gold chain around her neck. It was hers from when she was a baby.

“I want to give him this,” she whispered, unfastening it with careful little fingers.

As she placed the chain beside her baby brother, the room fell silent—then filled with a chorus of “aww” and “so sweet!”

“A gift from akka,” someone said, and Rositta beamed.

That day, as they rode back home—Rositta again sitting proudly at the front of the bike—she felt something new inside her. A bond had formed. Her baby brother had arrived, and she already loved him with her whole heart.

And so began the story of Rositta and Rosario, a tale of two siblings, a gold chain, and a bond that would grow forever.