“You see those beautiful fluorescent lights up on the ceiling? Well, maama put them up there . He used to find it easy going to sleep looking up at these pretty green stars and moon… Here, let me switch the lights off for you…”
Old Ms Amala., aged 65 years old. Being a retired school teacher , she had the perfect combination of the confidence of a woman who had handled many brats of boys at school and the strict discipline of a god fearing Brahmin.
She wakes up at 6 in the morning, takes a walk all the way from sector 3 to sector 4 breathing the cool november delhi air.
As she walks home, she buys milk and other necessities required to make a tastey breakfast , an Indian delicacy which she would later astonish me with.
I try to hop out of bed by 7.15 and rush to the bathroom before she gets home. Young and carefree as I am, having no prior chance to spend time with someone in such an age group,, being a guest at her home (even just for a day or two) was becoming quite a tricky issue. What to do.. what not to…? How clean should the room be… can I use her utensils? Should I not?
“Good morning dear!” She calls after me… “Have your tea first and then take a bath…I have just switched the water heater on”
“Oh I have already taken my bath, maami… the water was not that cold.” I said, .. remembering how I had to keep myself from groaning out loudly from the freezing water. “ Do you need any help making breakfast?” I make my way into the kitchen. The tiny size of the pots and vessels were a tell tale sign of a lonely widower whose children have settled in other parts of the globe.
“A nice collection of vessels maami! So compact and easy to store.”
“ ah! Yes… these belonged to maama” she said . I was to learn later that maama ( her husband) had been suffering from a cancer due to which he passed away two years ago “He left this house so comfortable for me to live in” She said in such a jolly note that you would think he was still alive. “he had written the numbers of the plumber , carpenter and every possible person whose help I might need. My neighbours here are also such helpful people. Mr and Mrs Ram are also a retired couple staying in B12. They don’t have any children. Lucy is all they have” I had met Lucy the day before. A smart little dog…I wondered how old she was
, Mr Varma, another neighbour drops me of at the Medical Council on Maamis request.
I come home with Jeena Davis. My college-mate who had to apply for registration along with me. She had a small complication with the passing of her certificates and had to postpone her ticket to chennai for the next day… “Welcome home my children! Is this the Jeena you talked about over the phone? Nice to meet you dear! make yourself comfortable” she says and leads us into the apartment.
“Today was my sister in laws birthday I was out with her family” she says after she has inquired about our experience at the council. “I saw her birthdate on the diary your maama left. He had a whole list of birthdays written down you see. I was not as good at trying to remember them like he did, but now, its easier.” Her eyes showed the same smile it did hours ago.
She swiftly runs into the kitchen to prepare dinner for us and will not hear of any offer to help. She shooes us into our room to rest our tired legs until dinner will be ready.
Perfectly round tiny chappatis, with palak panner and boondhi raita on the side; A delhi America and Canada
“Lucy, a loving Dog.” She says. Maama used to always buy biscuits for him. When he calls out her name from inside the apartment, she still hears him and rushes over here to collect her treat…”she said smiling. “ when maama passed away, she did not eat or move around for days!” my lips were paralysed in a dilemma , either to utter words of consolation or to let her know how loved he was.
“well, your maama was a loved man”, she said at last. "But that’s all a story long over", she said leaving a big sigh. . so tomorrow you need to go to the airport you said? Let me arrange a taxi for you……”
that night I found it difficult to sleep. As I lay on the bed staring at the ‘pretty green stars' above.. I saw a love that has endured years of hardship, disagreements, the growth of three children and then finally, distance..
Some day in the future. I will have my share of marriage troubles, disagreements, and sometimes I may feel the desperation to let go….
But on this night , all I could think of was the day I will be 65, the day I will remember my love . with a smile on my lips.
By,
An inexperienced author
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