Final Homecoming

The thrill and excitement one feels when one goes back home after months, even years, is something that can never be explained in words. Same went for him. He had been waiting for this very day for a long time. The packing was done. He screened the room once again. He had to go out very early the next day as the train was scheduled at 4am in the morning. He did not want his roommate to feel disturbed if he did any work at that point of time so he took utmost care to see that he had everything in place and he was not forgetting any of his belongings. He was not what one called OCD but yep, he liked to keep things prim and proper. Just like mom. Ahhh…Ma…how long was it since he had last seen her face? Probably a year or two back. But that’s fine…he was going back now.

“Ma…tera laadla aa raha hai maa. Bohot jald. Aur bass kuchh ghanto ka intezar….” And he grinned sheepishly thinking that.

“Oye…canteen bandh hone wala hai. Aren’t you hungry man? Come on stop daydreaming…let’s go eat. Mere pet mey chuhe daur rahe hai. Chal!” The quipping of his friend from behind broke him up from his reverie and with one last glance at his room he went out of the room.

The chattering in the canteen said enough. Loads of debate and discussion was going on as is normal among boys. He sat down with his rommie in their chosen spot.

“Radhe bhaiya , 2 dinner thali bhej do yaha. Aa gaye hum!”

Radhe bhaiya, the canteen head looked at them and smiled.

“Aa gaye nawab sahabo? Baitho. Bhejte hai.” The friendly exchange was a regular thing among the boys and the old man.

The thali came and even though it was now normal for them to eat this hostel food, his mouth watered thinking about his mom’s food back at home which he could have from the next day.

“Bro, you won’t be there from tomorrow to wake me up. Kya hoga mera?” wailed Reddy.

“Alarm clock is a very fascinating thing invented by humans to wake us up at the desired time. Kabhi suna hai uska naam?”

Reddy gave his toothy smile. “Ooooo someone is very sarcastic ‘coz they are going back home. Fine I will start using that abominable thing from tomorrow. But yeah…I will surely miss your taunts.”The friendly chat went on for some time and after finishing the food he went to pay off all his bills in the canteen.

“Radhe bhaiya….kitna bill hua hai mera abhi tak? Sab ka hisaab aj chukka karna hai.”

The old man looked up at him. “Kya baat hai bhai? Aj paise ka baat kaha sey aa gaya?”

“Arre bhaiya , laadla apne maa k pass jaa rahe hai kal. Isliye aj dil dariya ho gaya hai. Lelo. Thhora mere liye bhi lelo extra usse,” quipped in Reddy grinning loudly.

“Nehi bhaiya. Aesi baat nehi hai. Mera kaam yaha khatam ho gaya hai. Mey finally yaha sey ja raha hu. Par aungi kabhi kabar jab kaam ho toh. Isliye aj poora clear kar rahi hu aapke bills. Iss Bandar ka baat matt suno aap. Aap batao.”

After talking with the old man for a bit and taking a little after-dinner stroll in the campus, they both went back to their room. A few more hours before he would be sitting in the train on his way back home. Before switching off the lights, Reddy saw a smile plastered on the sleeping face.

“Momma’s boy!” he quipped before settling in for the night.

 The house had a different atmosphere around them that day. Happiness was bubbling among all the members living there. Their only son was returning home after two years. The son who had always been a homesick lad and never gone out of the house except during emergency situations – like going to school or tuitions. Yep. For the new generation that is certainly an emergency situation! Mom was the happiest. Her laadla was coming back after 2 years. God knows how he was and everything. They occasionally did talk over video calls but that would never be enough for her. Over the phone was as same as seeing his photo. Very bland with no emotions at all. She would only be happy when he would be there , standing right in front of her and she could touch him and hug him.

“Time kitna hua hai? Train kitne baje aane wala hai bole the aap?”

Her husband peeked from behind the newspaper. He knew his wife was super excited to see their son come back. This was the tenth time she had asked him the same question.

“It is 8 am. He is supposed to come at 10 pm at night. Relax. There is still enough time for you to cook the food.”

After a few minutes he quipped in again,” By the way, aj subah k chaay mey tumne namak diya thha…waahhhh! Kya taste thha woh! Sachh mey lajawab thha! Toh waese hi lajawab khana aj banwana aapne ladle k liye theek hai na? Take all your time….” And before she could say anything he promptly got up.

“Haa Sharma ji…aa rahe hai. Rukiye. Hum thhora bahar sey aate hai ok?”

Saying which he almost ran out of the house in his slippers. Sharma ji was nowhere to be seen but walking alone in the nearby park was better than listening to his over-excited wife at least! Even he was excited to see his son come back but he hadn’t lost his senses like his wife. He was constantly keeping a track of time as well.

 He had woken up at about 10 am when the hawkers had started coming in and were literally screaming about their wares. One even had the audacity to wake him up from his sleep to sell some herbal medicine for getting deep and proper sleep. Seriously? He was sleeping properly without that guy’s medicine until that idiot had awakened him!! Fuming he went to the wash basin, freshened up and came and sat near the window. He loved watching the scenery, in fact the greenery which he missed staying in the city perimeters. He was eagerly waiting to reach home but the conversation from his co-passengers told him that the train was running late. Grumbling angrily he kept looking outside. Indian Railways! Always at the top of their game - of getting late! Soon he had lunch from the train canteen…another disaster. A little while later, tired of everything, he went off to sleep again.

He was sleeping and it was in and around afternoon when a tremendous jerk threw him from his berth on to the floor. He yelled out more in fear than in pain. All around him people were screaming and howling. There was chaos everywhere. People were trying to get out of the train. He stood up holding the berth near him. But just as he stood up and even before he could realize anything the compartments of the trains crashed into each other, crushing the people like bugs and the roof of the train crumbled and gave in. The last thing he saw was the roof falling on him and even before he could move a single limb a numbing pain and eternal darkness as well as a deadly silence engulfed him - forever. The last word that left his lips was an inaudible “Maa”.

The news about the train crash was broadcast-ed in the 6 pm news. The whole house was surged in deadly silence at the news. Dad and some of the neighbors went out immediately after hiring a cab to visit the place. Mom was silent. Far too silent. Her sister had come to their house when she had seen the news. She and the neighbors were trying to console her infusing her with hope as the news was stating that some people had been injured badly but were still alive. Constantly stating to keep faith. To keep hope. But she knew. Her heart knew. She went to her room and locked herself in. When the ladies tried to follow her, her sister stopped them.

“Leave her alone. Give her some time. She needs it.”

Inside her room, she took out the letter that he had written a few days back stating that he was coming back home finally after 2 years. A sweet gesture in this electronically-driven age as he knew how much his mom loved getting his letters. To see his handwriting. As she sat reading the letter…the ink seemed to blur out. The dark ink changed into an eerie darkness that seemed to engulf her whole entity and existence.

“ Maa…I am coming back home. And this will be my final homecoming….”

A big fat drop of tear rolled down the cheeks and fell on the last word and blurred it out while the dam burst forth and out came all the pains and anguish that had been corked up in the heart for a very long time. The heart-wrenching howl reverberated all around the house as the mother mourned for the loss of her only son. As promised he had finally come back home…but on the shoulder of four people, swathed in bandages and shrouded under a white cloth, in his eternal sleep.

 Yes. He had kept his promise. It was indeed his final homecoming.