The Long And Short Of Her Chat

The doorbell chimed, not once but thrice in repeated succession. Sanjana got up from her armchair reluctantly. She had just a while ago wound up her tasks for the morning and was relaxing in her favorite armchair watching the scene outside her window. Mind you she was all of 85. Her husband had died five years ago and her only son was settled abroad. She chose to be in India among her familiar.

Interrupted from her comfort zone, she heaved herself to open the door to the impatient visitor. She was in for a pleasant surprise for the visitor was none other than her twin sister staying about two hours away from Sanjana's residence.

Her sister Kalpana had never on any earlier occasion arrived unannounced and so Sanjana was both happy and anxious at the same time. They both hugged each other tightly before they finally settled down for a long chat.

Over a cup of tea, they chatted; of course they needed no reason to do so; they were sisters afterall. Sanjana once again settled down in her armchair and her sister sat down comfortably too. It was just about 10 minutes down into the conversation and Sanjana drifted off to sleep. Kalpana fondly kept looking at Sanjana's tired face and felt emotional. Memories of their parents and their childhood days all came to her in a rush. A chat together everday was their family routine of many years until they had both gotten married. The topics of their chat ranged from the mundane to those special events but chat they did!

The chats started somewhere in the womb itself thought Kalpana to herself afterall they first met one another there. She wondered how her mother would have differentiated as to who was the one chatting with her at different times during the day?, who was kicking the inside of her tummy? Who wanted to emerge first? etc.

Now at this age of 85, they all the more wanted to talk to someone, someone to drive away their loneliness, someone to allay their fears and someone to hug them.

Casting aside her own thoughts, Kalpana swung into action. She fondly set things in place in the living room, watered the plants and then washed the few vessels in the kitchen sink. Perhaps this would help her sister a bit she thought. 

Then, as she bent down to put some vessels back in their respective cabinets, she saw a bundle of sheets in one of them. Surprised that one should be keeping papers in kitchen cabinets but curious to see the contents thereof, she retrieved them from the cabinet and spread them out on the little table in the kitchen.

She started reading them....

Dear sister Kalpana,

 

We were meant to be together, not apart but a part of one other. 

Duality of minds too offer so much to chat.

We were entwined in our mother's wombs to feel one another's emotions, learn to adjust with one another, learn to share our most prized possessions with each other, in this case, our mom.

We came into the world during the same ages, experienced life together, found our new families after marriage yet never severed our bond.

Blood bonds only get stronger with age.

Our passions were different, yet we appreciated our different tastes for living.

Life can be dealt with differently.

Perhaps we might depart from this world at different times but our souls will surely call out to one another......to continue our chats.

Whenever you lay your hands on this prized possession of mine, add a few lines of your own to it; let our bond never die.

Fondly yours

Sanjana

Kalpana's eyes misted and the writing blurred before her eyes and then she wrote on it......she chatted!

Chatting opens up lines of communication, keeps topics moving and varied; there is no commitment involved, only an outlet for refreshing oneself, to forge friendships and to get an outlet for social involvement.

One needs to chat up to let loose, to pick up threads and to indicate that we are available for another.