- it took me a while to understand the nickname Granny had so affectionately given me.
- Like a fairy-tale princess cursed to never smile, I didn't bat an eye.
- She tried clapping, bought different colored rattles, and even did silly dances to children's songs.
- The pediatrician in our neighborhood dismissed Mom's concerns, telling her not to worry, because her baby was growing just fine.
- I still have a faint burn like a medal from that day.
- Mom thought I'd be scared of water or red kettles from that point on, like a normal kid would be.
- So, like any mother, she tried to find a way to cast her doubts about her child in a positive light.
- That day is the first memory carved into my brain. It's blurry, as if I were watching from underwater, but comes into sharp focus every once in a while, like this:
- But Mom keeps nodding as if she believes such an obvious lie.
- Eventually, I start to get a little bored and fidget with my feet, kicking at the old man's desk.
- The defender of the universe is fighting off the bad guy