“It’s not getting better”, I thought while making my way through the entrance compound of my office, looking at the big droplets of water , speeding and thrashing the soft ground like the bullets would have done. I booked the cab, a good half an hour ago. But it seemed like an evanescence in the caliginous night that hailed. I felt a little uneasy about her, My beloved. She should have been troubling the nanny, all distressed in search of me.
The thoughts of her were quite adequate, for me to turn all hasty and give a little frowning to the cab driver, the moment he’ll show up.
As it arrived , the white sedan dispelling the blues invoked by the violent rain, a sense of relief rose to cheer me.
I seated myself and the ride advanced. I thought of the driver as a time traveler, seconds ahead and I will be at home. I admit, the eagerness to meet her , might have turned me into an idiot, but I never gave it a thought. I knew, my husband would turn up on time, but still I checked on him twice. But this was not consoling enough for me. I was derailed by the plan that the rain and the driver enforced on me.
In the first place, I wasn’t meant to leave her on terms with a nanny. But all the tasks that made up there way to me, necessitated my centralised concentration. My husband was involved in a touring business, which made him incapable, most of the time. The way these events managed their timing , left us with only a single option, and that was to hire a nanny.
Though I left her at home, there was not a single moment round the day, that held me back from thinking about her. She was so gorgeous. Everything about her was so intriguing, the way she conversed, the way she held my hand and sat with me with a look to die for in her vivid eyes. She was a little weak these days, but she never looked like. She was always playful.
Bemused by the thoughts of her, I lost the counts of my seconds. Still I managed to peek through it , and it said 8:46 . I sighed. “ I will be home soon, sunshine”, I murmured to myself. As the red lights made the wait a little longer, I turned left to have a view through the window. The street light, standing with pride, showering its refulgence, amidst the rain seemed like as if it was ruling the tenebrous night.
A few voices managed to break the silence. They hooked me up. I saw a woman with a dusky complexion, drenched in the rain, wearing what might have been a designer dress, or at least that is what her fellow path-mates would have thought. She was helping two puppies, cute enough like the rest of the beings, to make it through the undesirable weather. One of them must have been crippled, as he had a hard time matching the pace. She covered them with a piece of cloth and sat them under the bench, meant for the pedestrians. She seated herself with her back towards us, saving herself a little, from the thrusting drops.
The light signaled green and the cab moved. I was unable to take my eyes off her as we moved. I felt a little understood. A mother always feels for her children, the kind of them doesn’t matter. Love struck me.
All the old memories were enchanted by the play of the moment. The reminiscence of times with her, My sunshine, brought a smile on my face. The times when we played together, the glow that her face had. I felt it. At bedtime, the beautiful readings of the stories she loved. The way she enunciated the words, after me, made me feel happy. I remembered.
“Ma’am , we have reached.” I was so engrossed in the moment, that I never noticed, all the haste was gone. I was relaxed and reached the place, I badly wanted to be at. My home, where she must be waiting for me, My life.
I opened the gate and helped myself out of the cab and left. I excitedly walked through the porch, and knocked the door quickly. The nanny opened the gate. I bypassed her, and ran my eyes quickly through the room. Sunshine, I saw her. She sat in front of the television. She was already looking at me, and smiling. I thanked the nanny, and asked her to leave. My husband was busy listening to his voice messages.
Ignoring him, and without wasting a second ,I went to her. I hugged and told her, “Maa, I will never be late again.”
She managed to take her hand off the resting of her wheel chair and patted on my head. Her fingers trembled. She smiled again and this time, I too felt her vibrations.
I knew , I was special as I was being able to love my mother, care for her, when her body didn’t, unlike the other not so humane humans.
I never craved for a child. I had my mother. I wanted to look after her, the way she took care of me, every time, for all my life.
I had a daughter in my mother. And I loved her, the only sunshine I looked for.
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About The Author
Shivam Tomar likes to be called an artist and tries to bring forth the stories from a twisted unexpected perspective. A bare soul putting his heart on to the paper. He finds eccentricities in an ordinary conversation and his ends are something you wouldn’t want to miss.