We are back with the second part of Tanisha Tuteja”s story, and Motherhood is Beyond gender. If you haven’t read the first part, then we suggest you go back and read it first; otherwise, you won’t be able to understand the story. Let’s continue listening to the story.
Tanisha Tuteja – Her Story
When I saw the plaster, I started crying. Then Dad told me that it was just a simple plaster and not a big deal. Even with two accidents, he never gave up his hope.
He was broken beyond repair when he had to go through difficulty and pain alone. But he never let them affect me. His positive energy and charming smile lifted my mood even in the worst situations. Still, he often tells me, ‘We are always enough for each other in every situation.’ And indeed, we are enough for each other. I don’t need anyone else as long as I have my father.
However, the rest of the family members didn’t see it this way. Dad’s family wanted him to get married again. They said, ‘It would be easy for you to take care of Tanisha if you married again. She will take the responsibility.’ When the news fell in my ears, I got insecure. I had started crying, and with teary eyes, I said, ‘Papa will you leave me once you get married again? I don’t want to be away from you.’ My words melted his heart, and he picked me up in his arms and promised never to leave.
Then and there, he decided not to get married again. Whenever they tried again, he’d say the same thing: I was enough for him, and if he needed any help in my upbringing, family members could help. Seeing his conviction, his family ultimately gave up.
Dad was my only savior in moments of need. It was tough to be alone, but I had learned to have my ways. I never let anything weigh on me too much. I never got a chance to be close to anyone in the family, even after putting in enough effort. At that time, I wasn’t close to my cousin Palak despite living under the same roof.
We always had an unknown communication gap. Luckily, we got a chance to open up when I dropped her off for college. We talked about things, and somehow that trip brought us close to each other.
After that trip, we grew fond of each other. Now, we share our secrets and seek comfort in times of sorrow. I am glad that I tried to open up to her, and she is the only one I can trust blindly.
My mother never tried to reach me again. Someone saw her once with her daughter in the city, and the news reached me. I opened up to Palak about it. Did I tell her the questions that were going on in my mind, like why she never contacted me? Did she ever miss me? She made me understand that no one in the family wants me to be affected by someone who has left me in the past. I should move on and not let the past take a toll on my health. She said, ‘Tanisha, you are the daughter of the Tuteja family, and that’s it. Don’t go beyond this. It will hurt you.’
Honestly, it was hard not to question what possibly I did wrong to her that she left me. But I had my Dad with me, and I didn’t need anybody else. Throughout everything, he took care of me financially and parenting-wise. There never came a time when my needs went unmet, as Mother had predicted.
Dad shifted between jobs, and now he is a property dealer and owns a transport agency. I graduated from Glagotias University, and now I am a journalist. I interned at Zee and then served in E24. At the start of the corona pandemic, E24 stopped functioning, so the News24 agency moved me to their digital department.
Currently, I work as an anchor and content writer for their Facebook and Youtube pages. I live away from Dad in Noida, but he visits me frequently. We never talked about mom much until recently when we were sitting on the balcony of my flat.
I told him about my mother traveling with her daughter. We were discussing, and Dad broke down into tears while talking about his feelings. I asked him, ‘Why did you never love anyone else?’ He said, ‘It’s a default setting. I couldn’t love anyone else even if I tried. She was the only one I ever loved.’
The love we talk about and see in films and series was right before my eyes. It was my mother’s loss that she lost him. She couldn’t see him beyond his injury. If she had, she would have known that my Dad is the best and no one can love her as much as he did.
I feel fortunate that he is my father. Some kids don’t have an understanding and supporting parent despite having both parents living under a roof. I have my father, who has stayed by me in my joy and sorrow.
It is a myth that only a woman can be a mother. Motherhood is beyond gender. It is more about loving your child. Care, dedication, love, and sacrifice define motherhood, not gender.
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