She was her father’s pride and the most pampered child. Out of six children in the house, she was the star child and was always taken care of; a bit more than any other child in the house. Her father and mother were wishing for a girl child and every time they were blessed with a girl child, God used to take her back too early. When she was born, the parents prayed that she stays and God finally listened to them by not taking her back this time.
She was always and always too much pampered and taken care of more than anyone in the house. Her health didn’t support her often, but somehow she managed to study, to play, to work, to take care of her parents, siblings and everyone else around her and most important – to live life…!! Her siblings loved her like anything. She loved to help her mother and her bhabhis (her brothers’ wife). She loved to decorate her house, loved to paint and loved to be surrounded with people. She used to take care of her six nephews like her own kids and they all were scared of her as she was really strict with them. She used to feed them, bathe them, make them study and loved them.
She was 24 when she got married. Like any other girl, she was too excited about it and did everything a normal girl would do in such scenario. Her husband was a loving man, who took care of his wife in all possible ways. Her husband’s family was too small, just five people in the house, including her. Her father-in-law was a strict man and always spoke loud because of his teaching profession. He had his own ways of loving her and protecting her and most importantly, he loved to talk – like her; and unlike her mother-in-law, who was a beautiful lady, used to cook amazing food, took care of everyone and was a perfectionist in everything she did. Her sister-in-law was like a child to her as she was in school when they got married.
She learned to cook non-vegetarian food, which no one in her parents’ house had. She used to take care of everyone in house, used to paint, used to talk, used to write letters to her parents and siblings. Everyone in the house made their efforts to make her comfortable and ensured that she feels that she is a part of their family now. She, however, missed her huge family and all the fun she used to have with them. But she always used to smile and carry on, trying to adjust in her new family.
She and her husband were blessed with a baby girl. She was on cloud nine as now she has someone to play with, someone who is a part of her, someone who will be her pride, someone whom she will love more than anything in life. The house was now filled with noise, baby’s clothes, toys and everyone just wanted to have a chance to play with the baby. Her in-laws were not in favour of celebrating the baby’s first birthday, as birthday celebrations were not common at that time. She was upset and wanted to celebrate her baby’s birthday. Finally, somehow she managed to get the permission to celebrate, but without cake. She was too excited and invited all near and dear ones. She got a new dress for the baby, new toy and just loved the celebrations.
They were blessed with another baby girl, a few years later. The baby was just like her mother – fair, beautiful with a lovely smile. The younger girl always wanted her mother around her, unlike the elder one, who mostly used to stay with her grandparents and bua (her father’s sister). Both the sisters loved each other, played together, ate together, went to school together, and studied together. Their mother used to dress them up like princesses with the best means she had. Both the girls loved their mother and they were a small happy family. She and her husband struggled to give the best education to the girls, to teach them the best manners, to make them one of the best human beings. She dedicated all her time to her family and kids, without thinking even once about herself and her priorities; she didn’t had any other priorities for herself.
Some years later, her sister-in-law got married, who was like a child to her. She made the best efforts to help the family in making the best arrangements for the wedding and it came out to be over her expectations. There was one person less in the family now and everyone missed the sis-in-law. For many days, like her routine earlier, she used to cook food for seven people, instead of six; on the dining table, she used to keep seven plates and glasses, instead of six. That was how badly she missed her. But she was happy to see her sister-in-law and her husband as he was one of the best people she has ever met.
Some more years passed and now her kids were in senior school. She was more and more involved with the family matters and was grown up as a wonderful lady now.
It was the day of Rakshabandhan that year and her husband’s birthday the next day when her father-in-law received a call from God. It was so unexpected that the family was in a trauma and was not able to get over from that shock. She loved her father-in-law in her own ways and was shocked and shattered with his sudden death. But she never used to express as she had to take care of the family, especially her husband and her mother-in-law, who were traumatized. Again, there was one person less in the family now and everyone missed the father-in-law. For many days, like her routine earlier, she used to cook food for six people, instead of five; on the dining table, she used to keep six plates and glasses, instead of five.
From that day onward, her mother-in-law, who used to speak very little, almost stopped speaking. She collapsed herself in her own world and couldn’t absorb the fact that her husband is no more alive. The house was filled with sad faces, who only pretended to smile for each other’s sake. The children recovered fast as it’s easy at their age, the husband somehow managed to recover as he was out of the house for his job. The whole day, she stayed with her mother-in-law, who used to just stay within herself and she was fading with each passing day and everyone in the family, including the relatives realised and noticed that. What everyone missed to notice that there was one more person who was weakening every day.
She again got the good news that God is going to bless her with a child. She was again happy and was expecting a baby boy this time to complete her family and take her husband’s name forward. But due to her age and stress she had, she faced many problems this time. She was an anaemic and was hospitalised a few times during her pregnancy to pump in the required blood and glucose in her body. It was when she was once hospitalised, she received the news – her father, who was on bed since last many years, suddenly died. She couldn’t go see him for one last time and somehow managed to recover. Both her fathers were not in this world.
The good news was that she was blessed with a child and this time it was a baby boy. Everyone loved the champ and even the mother-in-law started involving herself with the child and the family of six was again happy. Meanwhile, two things happened, the mother-in-law started deteriorating further and the elder girl was leaving the house for further studies. She was again damaged but bid goodbye to her daughter for the sake of building her future. She wanted to see both her daughters growing as independent professionals, who excel in their job – somewhere her hidden desire of being independent has started being fulfilled now. Again, there was one person less in the family now and everyone missed the elder daughter. For many days, like her routine earlier, she used to cook food for six people, instead of five; on the dining table, she used to keep six plates and glasses, instead of five.
The elder daughter was now a professional and got her first job. She was all excited as if the daughter is living her dream and she was again a proud mother. Time passed and the champ started going to school.
Some more time passed and now the younger daughter also left the house for her further studies. One more dream of the mother was going to be true. Again, there was one person less in the family now and everyone missed the younger daughter. For many days, like her routine earlier, she used to cook food for five people, instead of four; on the dining table, she used to keep five plates and glasses, instead of four.
The champ was growing up fast, adopting the manners and habits of his father; the mother-in-law was weakening with each passing day, and required attention like a six months old kid. Who was there to take care, to feed her, to change her clothes, to bathe her, to do all the daily jobs for her, the whole day? She…!!
She started skipping breakfast, didn’t get time to take care of herself and the best part was she didn’t let anyone notice that. With her age growing every day, her body was fading; with the champ growing every day, her desires to see him growing up as a man increased; and with the growth of the mother-in-law’s age, the body had started showing its signs of decay. And she was living this every day without complaints, without demands. She was into a house-arrest now with a 24*7 job at home.
God took away the mother-in-law when she was at her mother’s place. Another trauma and unexpected death in the house. Again, there was one person less in the family now and everyone missed the mother-in-law. For many days, like her routine earlier, she used to cook food for four people, instead of three; on the dining table, she used to keep four plates and glasses, instead of three.
It took her so many months to get out of that routine; she was all alone at the home now, with no one speak for the whole day, the cooking was easy now, the workload was less – but she was sad, deep inside the heart. She missed her father’s house, which was full of people; she missed this house, which was full of people…Once….!!
Her house was at a bad geographical location, where she couldn’t even talk to anyone. She stayed within those walls for the whole day, for months, for years and was too happy whenever someone came to stay with her.
It was time for the elder daughter to get married. She found the best guy for her, did the best shopping and made arrangements in the best possible manner. Things changed again – Now, she had to check the watch before calling her elder daughter so that no one says anything to her. She felt lonelier now and missed the daughter on every festival, on her birthday, on the day when she was not feeling well, on the day when she cooked something of her choice, on the day when she wanted to do all the girlie talks with her daughter, she missed her badly.
The younger daughter started working – her one more wish fulfilled, one more dream came true.
Some more years passed, the champ grew up and was good in studies, the elder daughter was happily married and enjoying her life, the son-in-law was a wonderful person, the younger daughter was growing in her career and started sharing responsibilities of her father, the husband got promoted in his job and had to travel to a distant place. There were just three people in the house, which was growing old and started shedding day by day.
The husband and champ were out most of the time. She was very much occupied, thinking the whole day about her children, cooking for the husband and the champ and managing everything in the house.
God was kind, they came to a new house. A dream she saw most of the years of her life, a prayer which she made for years – are true now. A new house, new amenities, new people, new place where she can keep herself occupied and many more things – she thought of doing.
Excitement turned into routine in a few days and she started missing the old house – the house that gave her the role of a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a mother. She was unable to understand the reason as she has lived that dream for years and now it’s a reality – and she is unable to live it. Why? She somewhere knows the answer, the old house has the most important part of her life – Memories. Memories of love, of family, of being together, of care, of fun and of laughter.
The daughters call up their mother every day, the husband calls up his wife when he is not at home – to know what she is doing, to check if she is okay, to bring a smile on her face. The daughters proudly tell everyone “I call up my mother every day” and are happy about it. But she knows that is not enough for her. She never says that. No one can understand that. How much she misses her children, how much she misses those drama the family used to make, how much she loves talking, how much she wants to go out with them – but she never tells anyone about it.
For everyone, she might be a mother, a wife, etc.; but for her, her children are her LIFE as her thought process starts with her family and ends with her family; their needs; their wishes; their good health; their prosperity; their emotions; their well-being.
–END–
