A Mother After All

The rain poured down from the dark, gloomy clouds above her head. Meera ran along the sidewalk helplessly with books to shield her from the rain.

She saw an old lady outside a house. Yet she was hesitant to ask for shelter for she was as shy as a turtle in its shell. As she neared the house, the lady called out to her, " Swathi! Why are you in the rain, my child?"

She was confused as there was nobody else on the road. The old woman grabbed a towel and ran to her. She clutched her and bought her into the house. Meera was extremely muddled.

"Is this how long it took you to realize you had a mother waiting for you?!"

Meera was bewildered. "Aunty, I'm grateful to you to you but I don't understand why you think I'm your daughter."

"What? What kind of a joke is this my dear?"

Meera who had been studying neurology immediately knew there was something wrong. She asked, " Maa do you still have my childhood photos?"

The lady enthusiastically started pulling out her daughter's photos. Meera was nowhere familiar to her daughter.

"Maa, I think one of my books fell down while I was coming in. Let me go fetch it." She straightway went to the neighbor's house and enquired about the lady and her daughter.

She was shocked to hear that the lady's daughter had died 6 years ago in a car accident. But the trauma and agony were so much that the poor lady lost her senses. Thus she believes that every girl who passes by her house is her daughter Swathi.

Layer Meera decided to take matters into her own hands and treat the lady. When she discussed this with her mother, she said," People are responsible for their own lives. Don't interfere in the lady's life. Let her be."

Meera told her how the lady took care of her when she was out in the rain.

She also said," I could see the love in her eyes. She is a mother after all. "