29 Jun 2010

Meeting her after two years

“So you are leaving today at 4?”

I looked towards Mom with exasperation. This was the fourth time she had asked today. Each time earlier I had corrected her. I was leaving the next day.

Mom motioned me to just nod in agreement.

“When are you going to come next?”

I really had no answer for that. I smiled.

“I am not going to be around for long, you know”

“You keep saying that, but you look alright to me. Especially with the new bob cut.”

She smiled and ran her hands through her silver hair that had been cut off bluntly.

“ Your mother did that. She says that long hair was difficult to mange. Took a long time to dry.”

“Don’t worry it will grow back”

There was a pause. She stopped the regular movement of her head that an outsider would immediately call shivering.

“No it won’t. Actually your grandmother is not very well.”

I was amused that she was referring to herself in third person. She would always do that when she had something to complain. When we were young it was usually that the yield of coconut had gone down. Or that someone in the family was not listening to her. Or that her grandchildren were not coming to meet her often.

Recently she had started saying that she was not keeping well.

“There is nothing wrong. Didn’t you hear what the doctor said – you have no problems. Its just old age.”

She smiled.

“That’s what you all keep telling me. That’s what we tell old people."

She turned to look out to the window.

“I am tired. I need to go and rest.”

And then as she got up, she turned to me again.

“So you are leaving today at 4?”

I nodded and smiled.

3 comments:

Life@60 said...

That was fast and quite a picturesque write up !

mona mishra said...

Brilliant Sudhesh! Write more, i think this 'incident' has more. Superb style your writing has acquired.

Aunty, Helllloooo! How are you? and this story has you in it?

Unknown said...

thanks mona ! when is coffee