The Last Hugs & Kisses

I would usually be the one to walk the kiddos to school before making my way to work every morning. First, there was only Steffi because she was the first to get into primary school. My routine would be walking her right up to the main gate, giving her a kiss on the lips followed by a hug, and wishing her a good day at school. Then I would watch her walk down the stairs, walk towards the school hall, during which she would turn back once or twice and wave goodbye to me from afar. I  would take my time to watch from a distance, until she disappears into the sea of students. 

When Leroy joined her the following year, I had two hands to hold now but the ritual was the same, hugs and kisses. 2 more years on, Stacci joined in as well and the routine got a little longer now that there were three. Those hugs and kisses were sweet, I can still remember telling myself that even if I had to leave, it will be without any regrets, if you knew what I meant. 

Slowly Steffi started telling us that she would want to leave for school earlier on her own because she wanted to meet her friends. I could also sense Leroy's uneasiness with those kisses and hugs, and would hurry me along especially when he knew friends were watching. Well Stacci had always been clueless, but would still reciprocate although she rarely turned back to look at me after our hugs, and would just walk straight into school. 

Then it hit me. I cannot even recall when it was, but we already had our last morning ritual of kissing and hugging at the school gate. They started going to school on their own while I started to just shout from my bedroom for Steffi and Leroy to take care of Stacci and to watch out for the traffic. The babies had grown up. It was bittersweet. The days may be long but the years are truly short. Live in the present folks, we can never know when it would be the last kiss or hug.