Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Que Sera, Sera

As we are finishing with the mud rubs on the two bigger eles, I hear someone singing. It's very soft and very pretty and it is definitely female.  The song is Que Sera, Sera and I remember watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie where Doris Day sings this very song. But this voice is softer and much prettier, soothing in its nature. I look around and see that Lek, in all her 4' 9" compactness, is sitting crouched underneath a closed-eyed Fah Mai (who just gobbled 20 bananas moments ago) rubbing Fah Mai's two front legs singing her to sleep. Sabine and I look at each other, silently communicating with each other the sheer preciousness of what we see happening before our eyes. Lek does this to bond with the baby (as she has with momma and the six year old), and to give mother a chance to rest a little too. Fah Mai has fallen asleep and is snoring while standing. Her big sister, Tong Jan, also has her eyes closed. The mother is very relaxed. The whole time Lek is singing. Sabine was able to get pictures of this too even though her hands were muddy...



Lek gestures for a couple of volunteers to take turns slipping into where she is crouched so they can rub Fah Mai legs. Both Sabine and I are eager to do this too, but our hands are caked with mud still. Fah Mai wakes up anyway though when she senses Lek moving away and so she follows her, as do Tong Jan and mother. I am touched by the love all three of the eles have for Lek. They follow her, gently with their trunks caressing Lek, Fah Mai is not as gentle but pushy and almost needy for Lek to help her fall asleep. We stay until Lek leaves and Fah Mai never ends up going down for her nap because she is too excited and distracted.

Yet another best part of my day.