Lost Life

An early morning, it was a typical day with Kavitha busily cooking in the kitchen, Kumar heading to his new work station at the corner of his room, Kishore scrolling through his smartphone, and Suma tiding the children's book and arranging it for their morning online class. Nothing has changed since last year; Kumar and Suma continue their work from home, Kishore searching for a job after graduation. My grandchildren Arun and Aruna take their classes through online schooling. 

I slowly progressed to the kitchen to check if Kamala completed her chores. "Kamala, did you complete your chores? Regular reply "Not yet, I have got some more work with lunch preparation." I now knew that I had got only myself to dwell with memories of the past. 

As I sit down on the rocking chair, my eyelids closed and opened for few seconds, now it just closed without opening back. "O! What has happened to me? Did I breathe my last?" My inner self questioned me. I did realize the truth; anyways, I can see my family. 

I walked up to Kumar's office station in his room and silently observed him. I knew he is entirely unaware of my presence. He was busy doing his office routines, handling back-to-back sales calls, training up his subordinates, connecting with the delivery team to receive delivery updates, and so on, without any break. I now understand why he never comes to the living room to sit with me and have a casual weekday talk. 

As I walked towards the children's room, I found my daughter(daughter-in-law) Suma, who has created her work station in the small walkway between her room(occupied by her husband Kumar for office work) and the children's room. She continued her regular office routine, sitting on a chair with a laptop on a small writing desk. As a busy mom and HR, she does her chores, checks on children's online classes in-between, and drops by the kitchen to check if her mother-in-law needs any help. She, too, did not feel my presence as I crossed her.

I reached the children's room. Two of the busy young minds were trying to catch up with everything their teachers were teaching them. Taking notes and writing their assignments, we never witnessed this situation before this pandemic outbreak. The school was a place children would meet their friends and learn from their teachers in person. But now, it is so different! I progressed from their room to the living room, where Kishore was busily answering an interview call and wait...

He just ran towards the kitchen and whispered something to his mother's ears. Kamala started smiling, and she walked briskly and swiftly towards the living room, approaching my rocking chair. 

Oh! God, I always prayed to you not to put me in this situation. I live for my family, though they all are busy throughout with their routines, the retired Engineer is still their head of the family, and without me, they will break down and get lost. Please, don't do this to them. Somehow make me blink and trigger my heartbeat. I pray for a miracle to occur. 

I heard a loud voice, "Krishna Ji, wake up! It is good news and a hand pulling me continuously, papa, " please, wake up." Suddenly, my eyelids opened; Kishore and Kamala stood beside me, "It is good news, your elder sister recovered from the heart problem, and now she is doing fine," said Kamala. 

I smiled and nodded, expressing my happiness over gaining back myself and my sister's life, and walked towards the balcony to see the worldly life and whispered to myself," What a life it is."

Now I realize that we should never complain about the things that we don't have control over, but we need to rejoice in the things we already possess.