Baby Doll

Like every father- my friend too loves his seven years old daughter very much and he says her.

“I love you, Divya, I love you Divya.

“No, you don’t love me, you don’t love me, Daddy” Her daughter complains and beats on his sprawled chest. And my friend knows why she grumbles so. He hugs her into lap tightly and kisses her passionately-“By God, I love you, Divya, I love you, Divya. His daughter sulks- by God, I love you, Divya- huh! And momentum of beating into chest accelerates.

“I know- you don’t love me, you don’t love me, Daddy” My friend buys her an elegant dress, frock and chocolate and so many other things on her birthday and says.

“Divya, I love you very much. I love you” And he thrusts a slash of cake into her mouth.

“Look, how much your Daddy loves you, Divya” Mummy favours.

“No, no, no. Daddy doesn’t love me. Daddy- you don’t love me” My friend feels an unease clawing into his stomach. Daughter is unapologetically cruel.

“Daughter- Divya, believe me- I love you very much. I love you very much” His daughter protests- “If you love me then why don’t you let me play?”

“Play? No- no- no” Divya makes a grimace- no- no- no. My friend laughs, laughs-“I love you very much but I don’t let you play, Divya” Mummy intervenes-

“Daughter, you Daddy loves you very much but might not let you play” A verdict.

“Why, why, why?” Divya cries and breaks down the telephone set on ground. My friend slaps her brutally and yells-“Daughter, I love you very much, I love you very much- but I’ll thrash you if you break down telephone set or like that” Divya weeps, yells and continues breaking down plates, chairs etc.

“Daddy, I hate you, I hate you” My friend kisses her, takes her into his lap, hugs her.

“Daughter, I love you, I love you”

“You do lie-Daddy- one way you say you love me and beat me also”

“I’ll love you if you study books. I’ll beat you if you break down things stupidly”

“Like breaking of telephone set and plates” Mummy too admonishes but does not slap her. Divya does not study books. She plays with dolls, laughs with dolls and sleeps with dolls. My friend irritates.

“Daughter, I love you- but I’ll beat you”

“Divya, do study, do study” Mummy advises.

“Mummy, please- let me play, Daddy- please let me play” Play, play, play.

“Mend your way, Divya” Class teacher too rebukes the girl on the complaint of parents.

“She always plays with dolls” Mummy complains to the headmistress.

“She does not do home work properly” Daddy adds (fuel the fire).

“And she creates indiscipline in the class also” The class teacher also finds an opportunity nitpicking the girl.

Next day, brushing away the thought of being insulted in headmistress’s office, my friend, wife in his right side, loves daughter.

“I love you, Divya, I love you, Divya”

“I too love you, Daddy” Daughter collapses into his lap.

“Do study- beti, get distinction” He says scrambling down his hands inside trousers’ pockets. Out comes a chocolate. Seven years girl promptly grasps it.

“Daddy, please let me play”

“Play, play, play” Mummy shrieks-“Listen- girl-listen what your Daddy says- get distinction, get distinction” Divya mutters quaintly in weak voice brushing aside her mother’s admonish.

“Daddy, please let me play” My friend smiles in hesitant approval. The girl runs away. After she dozes off, they conceal her dolls into large storeroom.
The girl, next morning, shrieks to find her dolls missed.

“Daddy, I hate you, I hate you”

“Why, why?” My friend says apologetically.

“You’re a killer”

“Killer?” He astonishes- the contours of his cruel face shivers.

“You’ve killed my baby dolls. I hate you, Daddy. I hate you” My friend shows his cruelty, does not get her back the baby dolls. Daughter does not study, does not home work.

“Killer Daddy, get me my baby dolls back”

“Do study- beti, get distinction. I’ll buy you some new dolls”

“No, no, no” Girl screams. My friend, with disgust, turns his face away, stares at wife allegedly. It’s you, it’s you. Who else can dare to tell her about the missing of baby dolls?

The day- exams commence, girl falls ill. Sedatives are applied to her. She appears in exams. My friend’s wife weeps to eye daughter’s appalling condition. She helps her lessons learnt. Girl’s performance in examination shows her poorness. After the result out, school administration promptly calls parents in school.

“Sorry, we’re unable to carry forward your daughter next standard” Headmistress announces straightforward. My friend hangs down his head in shame.

“She was ill during examinations. Madam, please give us a chance, we are ready to make her appear in the examination again” My friend’s wife begs.

“With full preparation” She stresses.

“Ok, it might be fine” Headmistress acquiesces. They rush back with some bites of pleasure. They arrange tuition for the daughter also.

“Shame, shame, shame” My friend groans into his wife.

“Darling, I want distinction and she gets failure” Shame, shame, shame. Tutor comes at home to teach the girl.

“Teacher, let me play, please”

“No, no, no”

“Please”

“Your Daddy wants you get distinction” The tutor counsels the child.

“How can I get distinction without playing with baby doll?”

“Baby doll?”

“Yes teacher, Daddy is killer. He kills my baby doll” The tutor laughs.

“Let me bring a baby doll for you tomorrow”

“Thank you teacher, thank you, teacher. I love you teacher, I love you, teacher” The girl laughs hilariously.

Days after, clasping daughter with him, my friend on his night bed, kisses and
says.

“Divya, I love you, I love you”

“No, you don’t love me; you don’t love me, Daddy”

“Your teacher tells me you’re doing well theseday, I hope you must get distinction”

“Daddy, why don’t you let me play me with baby doll” She bleats ignoring father’s admiration for her.

“I’ll buy you baby doll after you get distinction in examinations” My friends promises her.

“No, no, no- you’re killer, Daddy. I would not get baby doll from you. You would kill her later” And then she shows off her baby doll which the tutor has bought for her.