Her grand children are grown up now and are fine young people! She is proud of them all!  

Presently, things are moving around her. The stunned and stopped days have started rolling again!  It was as though only a few minutes ago that her husband was lying there, his eyes were closed in serene and peaceful slumber!  She had tried to wake him up, but couldn’t! Ten days have passed since her battle with her bewilderment of his adamant form, lying dormant, not listening to her, not bothered about her, leaving her all alone like this…

 ‘Mother…’

One by one her children were ready to leave her house to their own pretty nests, their own social circle of comforts, towards their work and life…

‘Come and stay with me mother…please’

Every one of her children had pleaded with her a million times in the past few days. Her only unrelenting answer was a constant no!

She had understood their dilemma and had tried to pacify them…

‘Don’t worry about me. I will take care of myself’

She smiled with benign understanding at them.  They took turns to plead with her, command and argue with her, all in vein. 

Finally, she stood there, all alone in such a big house; her husband had gone and the children had left for their own homes…

She went out of the house and was walking with unsure feet around her garden: the sun was playing with the empty branches and the big trees. The withered leaves were lying on the ground, gold and brown, yellowish and aged! She knew in her heart that in time the trees would be filled in by the fresh leaves again and the Sun would shine on them; there will be a new season and a new reason to live tomorrow! But it hurts to be alive today!  

Her eyes had filled-in with tears. May be some day, she would find a new strength to live this life with less hurt and less suffering. But for today, she needs all her will power to go through the agonizing minutes, hours and the days. One day at a time! She had slowly walked towards a bench, sat on it and closed her eyes.

Lalitha V. Raman