Religion

My parents have lived in the same building till now since the time I was born. We had some very good neighbors. The closest we were to was a Christian family (lets call them C). They had kids pretty late, so Mrs. C pampered me a lot like her own. Then she had a little boy and I adored the boy. She also had a little girl a few years later - Miss.C. I loved both the kids a lot! Our families were pretty close. We shared sweets for Christmas and Diwali, were invited over for parties. I have even travelled with Mrs. C to nearby towns when she went to visit her mom.
When her little girl was born, I was very excited. I even suggested a nice name for her. They named her something very similar to what I had suggested, so I was happy. I was just 8 at the time. I attended lil Miss. C's christening ceremony at the St. Xavier's church. I knew they were Christians and that I am a Hindu. But my parents never spoke anything about our religious differences.
I was very attached to Little Miss. C. I brought her everyday after school to my place. I played with her for hours. Whenever I heard her cry, I would rush to their place and bring her back to mine. When she was about 3 years old, I took her out almost every evening. We went to the market, to my friend's place, to the garden. Then one day, I took her to the nearby temple.
As usual the following day, I went to her place to pick her up. As we were leaving, Little Miss. C said to me " I cannot go to the temple with you". I was confused, "Why?" I asked. What she said next hurt me to the core. Something that I cannot forget all my life. Something that I wasn't prepared for. Something that I wasn't taught.

"My mommy says, THAT is not MY God, THAT is YOUR God".