Not without my Son

A sixteen year old girl passed her matriculate exams and got married to her high school teacher. A year later, in the year 1964, the couple were blessed with a healthy baby boy. The baby seemed fine but he didn’t cry after he was born. Only after the doctor had pinched him did he start crying. Relatives of the couple voiced their superstitious beliefs that a baby who doesn’t cry on his own after birth doesn’t survive long. This worried the girl a lot but her husband didn’t pay much heed to it. He advised her to stop thinking negatively and thank God for the fact that they had become parents to a beautiful boy. The girl was worried for a few days but later on stopped worrying about it as she saw her baby boy growing up. 

A few years down the line, the couple became parents to three more children i.e three daughters. The young girl was now a woman and loved her four children abundantly. Irrespective of the financial difficulties life threw at them, they managed to feed their children and stay happy. The four siblings would argue and quarrel all day for petty issues but they still managed to stay united. The siblings couldn’t stay without each other for much long. They would manage to find some or the other excuse to be friends again and pull each others’ legs. 

The woman loved her daughters to the core, but she held a special spot for her son in her heart. It was as if both of them were connected through a reflex action. They spent most of their time together. At times, she would favor her son over her daughters. This irritated the young girls in the beginning but they got used to it later onwards. They started believing that no matter what they did, they couldn’t take their brother’s place in their mother’s heart. No matter what their mother conveyed, their father never differentiated between his children. As the years passed, the four children grew up to become good-looking, sensible and wise. 

Both parents ensured that their children completed their education. The eldest child, their son, set up his own construction business after his graduation. The daughters got married to men their parents had chosen for them and were happy in their respective homes. The son’s construction business had a rough start but later on started earning well. The parents were happy that the children were doing well in their respective lives.

The only thing that the woman was worried about was that her son was overweight. Whenever she advised him to control his eating habits, he would say, “ We are born to eat, drink and to die. Don’t worry about me, Mother. I will die before you.” The woman would become furious whenever he uttered those words. Even though it was almost 26 years back, his statement reminded her of what her relatives had warned her when her son was born. She warned her son every now and then to not speak such words. But, being of a jovial nature and the one who would not take such things seriously, he would laugh at his mother. The woman tried her level best to not let her son’s words disturb her even though she feared deep within. 

Six months later, the son confessed that he was in love with a girl from a nearby village. The couple were distraught at first, on hearing the news, as they wanted him to marry a girl from their own village. After many arguments and heated discussions, they finally agreed to meet the girl and her parents as their son refused to change his mind. In the end, they wanted to see their son happy and agreed to the match selected by him. Four months later, the son got married to the girl of his choice with celebrations in galore. Luckily, for them, their daughter-in-law was simple and humble. She respected and loved them as she loved her own parents. 

Unlike the other saas- bahus in the village, both of them got along well. A year later, the young couple were blessed with their first child; a son. The family members mutually decided to name him Soumil. The woman adored her grandchild just the way she adored her son. She would play with the little child all day and took care of him while her daughter-in-law cooked in the kitchen. Since the birth of the little boy, the woman and her son became even more closer. They would engage in friendly banter during the holidays and make plans about Soumil’s future. 

As the days passed, the family’s bundle of joy became witty and smart. Once he started going to school, his father started making plans on extending his construction business, with the hope that his son will assist him in the future. For work- related purposes, he decided to travel to Mumbai for two days with one of his friends. He asked his wife to come along with him and she agreed. Later on, she changed her mind as Soumil was unwell. Before leaving, the son touched his parents’ feet and kissed his son and wife. His last words were, “ I shall be back soon.” 

After he had left, the women engrossed themselves in their household chores and his father went for a stroll along with his group of friends. The family members kept themselves busy with their daily activities till they received a phone call at around 5 in the evening. Soumil’s grandfather picked up the receiver.

“ Hello! Who’s this?” He asked. 

“ Hello! Naresh Kaka, it’s me, Vaibhav.” The voice at the other end spoke. It seemed as if he was too terrified or too shocked to speak.“ Yes, Vaibhav. Tell me. Have you and Lokesh reached Mumbai safely?”

“ Actually, no. We were still halfway. There’s something I need to inform you, Kaka.” Vaibhav spoke in a hushed manner which irritated Lokesh’s father.

“ Will you just tell me what the matter is? What did you both do this time? I am fed up of all your jokes and wise cracks. Where is Lokesh? I want to speak to him.” Naresh Kaka spoke on the top of his voice. Whenever the two friends met, they would be upto no good. 

Vaibhav took a deep breath and finally spoke after two minutes. “ Lokesh is no more with us, Kaka. He had parked the car near a petrol pump while I went to a shop. By the time I could return, he suffered a massive heart attack and passed away before I took him to the nearby hospital.” He continued further but Lokesh’s father couldn’t remember the rest of what he said. His head started spinning and his heart started beating rapidly. He felt as if this was a bad dream and now he would wake up from it. But, unfortunately, for him and his family, this wasn’t a dream. His only son was no more. 

The entire family cried bitterly as they saw Lokesh’s lifeless body lying in front of them. Everyone except his mother, Nanda. It was difficult for them to understand how a 34 year old healthy young man could die suffering a severe heart attack. While his wife and sisters cried and consoled each other, Nanda didn’t shed a tear. She cried only when she heard the news of his death. Neither did she cry nor did she eat nor did she drink. She even stopped taking her medicines. She rarely slept. She stopped laughing and she stopped crying. Relatives and friends tried their best to make her cry. But she failed miserably in expressing any emotions. It seemed as if her son had taken away with him; her desire to live. 

She lived with him and for him. After he was gone, she would spend her time doing absolutely nothing. She would think all day what went wrong and why God had taken away her only son. As long as her family members were with her, they tried their best to keep her occupied. But when Nanda was alone, she just couldn’t stop thinking about Lokesh. Whenever she saw his wife and son, all the past memories haunted and tortured her. The time he was born, the jokes he cracked, the nuisance he created. All of it was now over. What had been a daily routine was now a mere remembrance. Exactly two months after her son’s death, Nanda passed away; suffering a heart attack. It was a shocking and tough time for the entire family as they witnessed two deaths within a span of two months.

The pain and agony in Nanda’s heart had refused to die down. No matter how hard her family members tried, she refused to let go of her son. She refused to believe that her son had left for his heavenly abode. It could be a coincidence, but what her relatives had told her turned out to be true. Whether she wanted to believe it or not. The pain and agony she faced vanished in thin air as her soul left her body. Where it belonged. With her son.