I'm lying on a sofa, n a few feet away, my aunt is relating a story from my childhood to my parents.. I don't know if she knows that i can hear her.. maybe she thinks i'm asleep... i had fogotten that particular incident from my past... n suddenly, I was reliving a cherished memory from my childhood..

I must have been abut 8 years old.. there was a function i school n a change of costumes was required...

I wanted my mum to come.. just like all the other kids' mums came.. I wanted her to gloat over me n praise me n put a dab of her perfume n a touch of her reddish brown lipstick just like all the other mums did... But travelling 8,000 miles to do that was not an option...

But i still have a a wonderful memory of that day.. A memory of a beautiful lady dressed in a red top and black pants that had a small red design on it.. she was there to button up my jacket n pin the flowers on my hair, to tell me i looked pretty after i was dressed up n to make me feel accepted and wanted...

Thank god for aunts is all i can say..maybe it'snot a big deal but it's also one of the few memories i have of my childhood n one that i value greatly...

11 years later, I'm thankful... Thankful for having an amzing family to rely on.. a circle of aunts and uncles who regard me as their daughter..

Maybe i don't need anyone to come help me get dressed but it's good to know that they're always there incase such an occasion does arise..