Why Now?

Grandmother’s body was getting colder and she was only looking at the door with empty eyes. I have never seen you both talk for the last 40 years. You probably never expressed it to the outside world but every member in this family knew your anger for each other. You lived in the same house but were always away from each other. You talked to each other through your kids.

“These are her last moments, now say something.” Ramjeevan’s sons, daughters-in-law, daughter, grandsons and daughters sitting in the veranda were now begging him who sitting quite in the veranda.

Ramjeevan just started at the sky for some time and then got up with great difficulty using his walking cane for support. He put on his thick glass spectacles and walked with a bent pose to the room at the back. He told his wife who lay motionless on the bed “Manorama, Look at me Manorama. Please talk to me once Manorama!”

It was as if her lifeless body suddenly got lots of strength. Manorama turned her eyes towards Ramjeevan. It looked as if her eyes were asking a lot of questions. Her lips were trembling. Her breathing had become heavy and her chest was rapidly moving up and down. Tears started trickling down her eyes. Her tired body tried getting up but she couldn’t do it.

Suddenly, her facial expressions began to convey anger. Manorama’s face turned red. “You did not find any reason except my death to talk to me for the last 40 years?”. Saying this, Manorama just turned her face to the other side. Ramjeevan kept on calling Manorama’s name again and again.

Manorama’s body was beginning to go cold.