"It's Gone!"

After performing my Maghrib prayers with my parents in their room, I returned to my room to get ready to go out for dinner. I was greeted by my wife at the door, who looked distressed. Something was amiss.

“What’s going on?”, I asked.

Wifey had walked away from the door almost immediately she had opened it, and responded distressfully, “Your wedding ring is missing. Insyirah was playing with it while I was in the toilet”. She was searching through the curtains leading to the balcony as she responded.

“I left it on the dressing table”, I responded, almost duh-like and obviously not affected by the stress and alarm that wifey was exhibiting.

“I know”, annoyance beginning to surface in her voice. “Insyirah climbed onto the chair at the dressing table and was messing up everything on it. When I came out I made a check of the items that were on the table, and to my horror I couldn’t find your wedding ring!”, she concluded in one breath.

Only then did my attention turned to Insyirah. She was standing motionlessly in the middle of the room, her teddy which she only recently became closely acquainted with held close to her chest in her two small hands, looking down on the floor. I deduced that wifey had already grilled her about the ring already.

“Insyirah, do you know where Abah’s ring is?”, I asked my daughter gently.

Nervously she looked up at me, and with one of her hands that was up to that point clutching on to her teddy extended out, with the palm showing upwards she replied, “It’s gone”.

She was now looking at me earnestly, giving me the look of someone who knows she’s done something naughty, and was apprehensive of the consequence that she might have to face. I was now searching on the table where I last left my ring. I asked Insyirah once again, while I continued with my search. “Did you play with my ring just now? Where did you put it?”

Like a broken radio, she chimed again, “It’s gone”. You could almost sense guilt in the way she answered.

“No point asking her abang. That’s all she’s been saying when I asked her the same. She kept on saying, ‘It’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone’!”, annoyance apparently creeping on wifey.

I was slowly overcome by guilt. Really, it was my fault rather than this little girl that my wedding ring is now misplaced. I should have known better to keep it well out of her reach like in the drawer or something, rather than out in the open like that for her to play her games with. Father and daughter were now feeling the heat of wifey’s wrath. My eyes were fixed on Insyirah, feeling rather sorry for her. She took her eyes away from the floor again to look at me, still not moving from that same spot when I first came into the room, and probably sensing that I was going to ask her again, she prompted again “It’s gone Abah”.

I opened the drawers and searched the table again. At that point, I heard the sound of small metal falling onto the floor. My eyes quickly located the sound my ears had sensed, and I found the ring still moving in circles from the falling impact, right behind Insyirah. The ring must have gotten stuck to her sleeves or pocket and fell off from her.

I moved towards her and reached for the ring. “Insyirah, there it is! There’s the ring! It must have fallen off from you!”, I took the ring from the floor near her small feet and showed it to her face.

Her expression changed so suddenly upon discovery of the ring. The frown on her small face was immediately replaced with a look of relief, and covering her mouth with her small hand in a gesture of excitement, she responded “It’s not gone!”, and laughed out loud in relief. I gave her a hug just to give her the extra reassurance, although I sensed she was clever enough to know that she was already off the hook.

My precious...

It amazed me how my 2 year old girl could comprehend the seriousness of the situation, and how she could feel she was responsible for what had happened. I gave her a kiss on the forehead, and stroked her hair. In a matter of seconds, she was away from the spot she’s been rooted to in the last 10 minutes or so and went about the room doing the usual stuffs a 2 year old girl would do.

Moral of the story:
1. Make sure you keep your fine and valuable possessions in safe places, and far from the reach of your children, especially if your children are still at the age when a wedding ring has the equivalent sentimental and monetary significance as a Spongebob soft toy.
2. Don't get upset with them for any losses incurred due to failure to follow moral of the story no. 1 above. Be fair to your children, and own up to your own mistake. You can however show them that you're upset that you've lost something you value very much. That would teach them to determine what is valuable and what is not, and teach them to be more careful the next time.
3. Tell them you love them nevertheless, and as upset as you are over your loss, keep things in perspective. This will teach them the right values, and the art of being forgiving.

The above is also an excerpt of an entry in my new holiday blog, A Break to the East Coast.