The Rivalry Began

Battle for Affection

At my mother-in-law’s home, Masjid Tanah. It was 3 o’clock in the morning, when my slumber was disturbed by a noisy commotion. It was Pie (18 months old) crying, smacking Sarah (barely 3 days old) with his tiny fists. Yan was frantically shielding Sarah who was wailing, trying to figure out what had hit her. It turned out that Pie had woke up moments earlier and tried to snuggle close to his mother. Yan turned him away since she was afraid Pie might smother his minute sister, and that bothered him very much to a boiling point.

I grabbed Pie away from the scene and he just kept wriggling and twisting, trying to get back to his mother. Their grandma simply shook her head in disbelief witnessing the uproar. Luckily, he stopped crying when I opened the car door and seated him next to me. For 15 minutes, I drove aimlessly around the town until Pie was sound asleep. Officially, the siblings rivalry had begun and we didn’t have the slightest clue it would start that much sooner.

Indeed Blood is Thicker Than Water!

As they say it, family ties are closer than any other relationships. Gradually, Pie warmed up to the new situation and accepted his sister presence in the family but with lots of conditioning and brainwashing from Yan and me. And in the coming days, I didn't have to drive out in the wee hours of the morning anymore.