FORLORN

Life is unpredictable but it shows us so many new ways to explore ourselves.

We ourselves don't know what's hidden within us until we don't face a situation of ‘Do and Die’

year 20-20 came with a knock of disaster in the world, in India 22nd march was first day of lockdown it was named as Janata curfew. ‘Lock down’ we had never heard of this world but it became a word which was most common.

Many elderly couples felt lonely, deserted and disturbed during this situation.  Mr Ashutosh Mehra was reading newspaper as usual in the early morning and he went to balcony he was feeling disheartened to see silence all around the parks were empty, roads were deserted and there were hardly any people on road. He turned his head and it got banged on the wall, He got hurt badly, his head started bleeding profusely.

 He immediately rushed to his family doctor with his daughter, for bandage. the doctor tested him for covid-19 as per government guidelines and bandaged his wound and send him back home.

By the evening his rt-pcr report came and he was tested positive.

His Viral load was very high, the doctor advised him to get admitted to government hospital on immediate basis and asked the whole family to undergo covid test. Mr Mehra who was asymptomatic never had thought of getting infected , he had not gone out since three months , but this virus hardly spares anyone , it served its animosity with human and Mr Mehra got admitted in civil hospital. The next day the entire family’s report was positive hence all were put under quarantine for 14 days.

 His wife, his son and daughter in law they all were feeling helpless .Mr Mehra was 75 years old and his wife of same age had never spent a night without each other since past 52 years of their marriage. but covid had no place for sentiments and emotions. After his admission of 3 days a call was made to his daughter who was also positive and she was quarantined at her own house which was 10 km away from her father's home .she got the news that Mr Mehta is having severe breathing issues and has been put on ventilator. his daughter Roma was feeling helpless as she could not do anything, she knew her mom is a heart patient , she should not inform her she wanted to run away straight to the hospital to see her father who needed her most at this time but she was helpless.

The very next day her mother called at hospital to ask about her husband's well-being. she couldn't get any response as the hospital was over crowded with covid patients. She was restless, she called her daughter Roma but Roma couldn't tell the truth to her mom She said ‘mom,-dad is fine, I had a word in hospital, he is absolutely good but her mom was not satisfied with this.

She was feeling restless and disturbed with each passing second. Roma was amazed to see her mother's love and devotion to her dad. their long relationship was the platonic one, she had never seen her parents arguing with each other.

The same day evening Roma received a call from hospital that ‘her father is no more’.

the situation was most difficult, Roma couldn't inform her mom as she was living alone and her brother was not able to handle her emotionally she , herself and her husband were positive and they could not even go to the cremation of her dad ; the photos of his final rites were sent to her on her mobile phone.

After 10 days when their quarantine period was over, she went to her mom's house and kept her head on her mom’ s lap and said ,’Maa , Dad’s gone’

To her surprise her mum took a deep sigh and said ‘I had guessed that the moment he was leaving for hospital deep down I knew that we won't see each other again and you know he was very well aware of it too’

Roma was crying endlessly and thinking how strong her parents bond is and cursed this devil called Corona who has brought many people’s life to an end.