It is just that people don’t understand that there is no relationship between the age, the diseases and the life-long love between the two people! She could live with her husband with his old age and his illness, but not without his physical presence and companionship!
Her husband had died peacefully in his sleep: the message had been sent across to their two daughters and three sons and also to their seven grandchildren working all over the globe.
All their children came running and two of their grandchildren had also made it to his final yatra!
She was the only one who was struck with genuine grief and others seemed to have taken the news a bit more bravely!
‘He was above seventy-five and was not keeping well for a long time now…’
‘All through the day my mother would rush at his beck and call at this age…’
One of her daughters said this!
‘Papa must have suffered a lot and at least now that…’
Of course, nobody had said anything bluntly that as their father was old and diseased, it was agreeable that he was dead now…well, god bless him and let us round off his chapter and get on with our lives! It is what they did not say that had made her very sad!
She smiled at the irony of it all!
Theirs was an arranged marriage. Who could have dared to even think of the love marriage in those days, decades & decades ago! She was sixteen years or was she twelve years old at that time? She did not understand the full meaning of the marriage ceremony, she had done whatever she was told to do by the priest and had entered into her husband’s home, becoming a shadow of her husband!
She still remembers her mild and gentle mother-in-law, her aristocratic father-in-law and the wonderful womenfolk of the house. The women were never allowed to go out of the house except on rare occasions, and hence, they became very close, talking and working together and when their men folk were not around their home, they had even laughed a bit loudly, chided each other, and were generally quite content in leading a calm and peaceful life within the four walls!
She had loved her husband very dearly: she was told that he was her father, mother, God and guru and she should obey him! A child she was, she had believed her parents and had tried to please him all the time! She couldn’t understand the reason he got irritated with her on this!
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