Spirited Beginning

Grandfather flipped his phone, looked at the screen once again, and with a sad sigh put it on the sofa. He took the television remote from the side table and started switching channels. He was anxiously waiting for a call from his friend's son who was rushed to the hospital in the morning after complaining of breathlessness. Father arrived home from the market with grocery bags in his hands, kept them near the kitchen, and went straight to his room to wash up. It has become a custom to wash hands, wear masks, apply sanitizer numerous times. I had tried to cheer my grandfather several times, but couldn't succeed. Father walked in and sat on the chair next to me, looking at his father's gloomy face he understood the scene and calmly said, "Uncle will be fine, there is no chance of him getting the virus." Grandfather turned his face and nodded. Grandmother appeared from the kitchen with plates of snacks followed by a mother with four cups of tea and a glass of milk for me. All of them tried to distract their grandfather, but he was adamant. The phone rang on the sofa grandfather picked it up at the same time hussed us. "How is your father?" He frantically asked. After some enquiring, he ended the call saying "take care."

Grandfather declared that his friend was doing good. He took a few sips of the tea munched on some biscuits and said, " I was mulling over the unseen possibilities and have thought instead of pontificating problems in life, arguing for solutions, let's live it". Looking at grandmother he continued, "I have forgotten to appreciate my loved ones". I said, "Okay grandpa" and ran into his room to bring his Tablas, I had heard from a grandmother that he was an avid 'tabla player' in his youth. He had a certain aura about him when played the 'Tablas'.

We had a boisterous and joyful evening. Grandmother spoke eloquently and compassionately, "sometimes it's the mundane stuff that can change our lives altogether, we have made it just so confused and serious".