"Bhaiya, take me to Sujan Singh colony, Khan market", I said to the driver as I hopped into a taxi parked outside my hotel. Even my tiredness from the overnight train journey failed to keep me in my room for the day or at least till late afternoon. I couldn't have waited till evening. I was super excited. How could I not be? It was after 8 long years that I was going to meet my childhood friend Gaurav. I have had some of the best moments of my life with him and so also many awkward but funny incidents, those that never fail to elicit a burst of belly laughs whenever we look back. We have been fast friends since our school days, and though we had remained in touch through emails and phone calls all the while but after I moved out of Delhi after my 12th standard for my engineering studies and then for my job, I hadn't been able to meet him. So I was super excited going to his place after this long.
But I was even more excited because I was going to meet Tisha, his four year old daughter, in person for the first time. She is such an adorable and vivacious little girl. Kids have always been my weaknesses but I haven't come across a more bubbly and ebullient child as her in a long time. Though she is a real chatterbox but with that radiant innocence and cheerfulness of hers, she can effortlessly wound you around her little fingers and you wouldn't complain. I had got to interact with her only a few times while I was video-chatting with Gaurav but even those few interactions, replete with her charming innocence and jollity, were enough to make me her fan. These qualities are the very reasons why I have always wanted to have a daughter. We had already become friends and she would fondly address me as 'Amiy uncle'. Gaurav too would share incidents of her innocent mischiefs and funny antics during our chats every now and then, so I was really dying to meet my 'Little Princess'.
In little less than an hour's ride, I finally reached Gaurav's place. Uncle and aunty were very happy to see me there and aunty, like she used to do during my school days, prepared and served me my favourite mango lassi the first thing (she still remembered it). Not much had changed in the eight years that I had been away from Delhi -- except that Gaurav had got married (sadly I had missed his marriage) and now I had a beautiful bhabhi and a cute little niece too. Gaurav was at his work-place and Tisha hadn't returned back from school. But uncle, aunty and Disha bhabhi made me feel at home. After having a typical scrumptious Punjabi lunch, we got down to chatting and Bhabhi showed me their family albums too in between.
Just then the door bell rang. "Your wait is over. Tisha is home now, the school aayaa must have come to drop her off" aunty said smilingly to me, as Bhabhi went to open the doors. I could already hear Tisha's chirpy voice from the veranda. She kept on prattling as Bhabhi was probably untying her shoes, she had so much to say. I couldn't help smiling. Just then Bhabhi interrupted her, saying, "Do you know who has come to meet you?"
"Who?" asked Tisha.
"See for yourself", Bhabhi replied. Tisha was already in our room even before Bhabhi had completed her sentence. True to everyone's description, Tisha was indeed all smiles, sweetness and tenderness. A doll couldn't have been more prettier.
"Hello my Little Princess, how are you? See, what have I brought for you? Lots of chocolates and some toys too. Come honey, won't you give a hug to your Amiy uncle?", I said as I stretched my arms wide. Initially she was shy but a moment later, she happily came into my arms to give me a bear hug.
Just then, suddenly she recoiled back and instead held my chin with her little hands and examined carefully, then ran away to Bhabhi, caressing her cheeks. No one could understand what had happened. I was clueless too. But when Bhabhi asked Tisha, "what happened, beta?", Tisha's reply left everyone in splits. Though I somehow managed to bring out a smile on my face but that was embarrassing.
"Unki daadhi chub rahi thi (his beard pricked my skin)", Tisha had replied.
And that was it. All through the afternoon and the evening that I was there, Tisha would run away from me whenever I called her near, as if I was a demon

. In matter of a few seconds, I had been rechristened "Daadhiwale Uncle"

from the earlier 'Amiy Uncle"!
This incident had occurred some five months back. In these five months, I must have visited Gaurav's house at least thirty times and they too have come over to my place quite a few times. And since that embarrassment, I have always made sure that I was clean-shaven whenever I was to meet Tisha. But still, I haven't been able to shed this tag of
"Daadhiwale Uncle" 
. Chocolates, ice-creams, stuffed animals... no gifts or tricks have worked either. Didn't I say earlier that 'first impression lasts long (and sometimes, forever)' ?
I never knew that my carelessness of not shaving before going to Gaurav's house that day would cost me so dearly. Now I don't even know as to till how long will my Little Princess continue to call me "Daadhiwale Uncle"!
This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette.