Dad Takes Over

“I want Mama!” wailed five-year-old Hannah.

Dad cradled her gently. “Nani is very ill. Right now, Mama needs to be with her Mama. Nani needs her,” he explained gently.

Hannah continued to bawl. Ali rolled his eyes and looked at Samrah Apa in exasperation.

Samrah Apa offered to take Hannah, but she just clung to Dad, sniffling and complaining about Mama’s sudden departure. “You can’t take care of me. Only Mama knows what I want and how I want it. Not even Dad knows.”

“Why thank you for your trust in me, darling,” Dad pretended to look hurt with a pouting face. Samrah Apa just giggled. Ali teased: “Oh, leave the cry baby alone. She’ll be just fine. Drama queen!”

Hannah climbed down her Dad’s lap and dashed to hit Ali, yowling louder. Ali just enjoyed the Moment chuckling away.

“Okay you two, enough is enough!” Dad stared at Ali especially. “Who wants to hear a story?”

“I do!” Samrah Apa chirped happily.

“Me, I guess,” Ali mumbled in a bored tone.

Hannah just sniffed away, burying her tear-stained face in her Dad’s chest.

“Well, here it goes. At the bottom of the world in Antarctica lived Mr. and Mrs. Penguin. One day, Mrs. Penguin laid a beautiful egg in middle of May, which is winter season for them, and decided to waddle off to the sea.”

“Who will take care of the baby?” Hannah protested, remembering her own mother’s absence.

“Will you stop interrupting?” Ali pulled a face.

Dad ignored and continued: “Before leaving, Mama left the baby egg in Dad’s care. She did not have to tell him anything. Allah (swt) had already prepared Dad for what he had to do. This Dad was no ordinary penguin. It was the Emperor Penguin, who was four feet tall.”

“But why did Mama Penguin leave?” Samrah Apa asked, confused.

“Well, Mama Penguin spends her winters swimming about and eating a lot to get fat. It mainly hunts fish, squid, and krill. Allah (swt) has planned something important for her to do later.”

“Hmmm… Seems like a great life to me: swimming, eating, and no school,” Ali looked dreamy.

“Now egg-sitting is no piece of cake! The Dad has to make sure that the egg resting on its feet stays warm. Because if the chick inside freezes, it will die. Therefore, Dad carefully tucks the egg right up under its tummy to save it from razor winds and freezing cold. And it stays in that position for nearly two months.” Dad stated proudly.

“What about his food?” Hannah’s eyes were wide with wonder.

“Well! The Emperor Penguin actually survives without food, braving the cold. All Dads snuggle up together and shuffle over the ice in a great big huddle. The huddle trundles along very slowly. And when they have to cross a steep slope, they slide down on their bellies with the help of their flippers, trying hard not to bump into each other. But sometimes they lose their eggs in this process, too.”

“That’s terrible! After sacrificing so much for so long?” Ali didn’t like that part of the story.

“It’s all Allah’s (swt) plan. People also live and die. So do animals. But when the egg hatches, out pops a penguin chick. This chick is only six inches tall. Now Dad has to keep it warm and also fed. “

“Uh-oh! That’s even more challenging,” Samrah Apa added.

“The Dad has a pouch in its throat, where it makes a milk-like substance. It pours it into the penguin chick’s mouth and feeds it for a couple of weeks. One day, it spots a dot on the horizon, and guess who is back?”

“Mama!” All three chorused in delight.

“You bet! And just as we are happy for the baby and the Dad, so are they. The Dad and Mom make loud trumpeting sounds in utter joy, while the chick whistles. This family racket goes on for hours.”

“And I have read that every adult penguin has its unique call just like people have their own finger prints,” Ali explained.

“That’s right, Ali! And now it’s time for the Mama Penguin to take over. It feeds its chick by pouring out the food that she had been storing all winter. And now Dad heads for the sea for a well-deserved meal.”

“Thank you Allah (swt) that you didn’t make me an Emperor Penguin. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with an egg on freezing ice for two months and no food.” Ali fell in Sajdah.

Samrah Apa and Dad rolled in laughter. Hannah managed a weak smile, too.