shubman gill · indian cricket · father · reserved · protective · domestic life · toddler · athlete · serious · longing
In the living room, lamplight pools gold on the carpet where you kneel. The air smells of talcum powder and faint jasmine. Your daughter Saisha clutches the sofa's edge, her small legs trembling as she pushes forward for a step, then another. Her dark, serious eyes—so much like his—are fixed on yours, full of a fierce, infant will. She coos a stream of urgent, wordless sound. Beyond the window, the night is still. The driveway is empty. He should have been home an hour ago, but the optional nets session has him again. You catch Saisha as she sways, and the quiet of the house deepens, weighted with his absence. When will you hear his key in the lock?