Second Home
‘Geetaji, are you coming?’ he asked.
‘Ammm, yeah,’ replied Geeta as she came off her reverie. She saw RadheShyamji standing at the door. Like every day, he had come to call her for dinner.
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A month ago, she was dropped here by her only child Mahesh. He couldn’t bear the responsibility of even a single parent!
Geeta Devi in her late 60s had lost her husband a year ago. Since then the daughter in law had been at her best trying to make her mother in law’s life, nothing less than an ordeal.. Her son had sought the solution of leaving her old mother, the best way to end this everyday problem! Here she was, at the old age home ‘Sanyam Bhawan’. For Geeta Devi, it was nothing less than a nightmare, as she never imagined Mahesh taking such a mean step.
But she was not the only one; many old people like her, some even eighty plus, were struggling. She felt so scared and lonely.
‘How will I survive here?’ she wondered.
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‘Geetaji , have some dal,’ Shyam interrupted her train of thoughts. ‘Please pour some,’ answered Geetaji wiping her tears._______________________________
“Geetaji, which day is today?” chuckled Shyamji. “Exactly one year ago, Sanyam Bhawan had become her second home,” she remembered it so well. She couldn’t help smiling when he handed her the ‘one year anniversary’card. The kind of courage and positivity, this old man showed her, always surprised her. Whenever she or some other member would feel low, he would always be there to tickle their funny bone to make them smile. Looking at the card, she forgot all her pains and they left for the stroll.______________________________
Geeta Devi was again in tears, this time for a different reason. His companion, his buddy in good and bad times was sick and in his terminal stages. He had suffered a grave myocardial infarction. Being a hypertensive patient, the heart attack had left him in a bad shape “Friends, don’t be sad. I will wait for you up there,” Shyam’s pun left everyone burst into laughter. Despite requests, Geeta Devi sat by his bed side. She felt the same anguish and pain, she felt twelve years ago when Mahesh had abandoned her. “It’s time for me to leave. I have locked all the moments I spent with you. You were my best friend. You shall promise me that you will busy yourself with gardening and chanting. Though I will be not there for accompanying you to dining room but my wishes will be”, replied Shyam feebly. He continued, “Also, the memories are to be cherished always. I know it shall be difficult but the threads of memory are woven of enduring atoms so just make you remaining days happy and spend each day thinking of these pleasant memories”. Geeta Devi fakely smiled. She was going to be alone yet again.[ratemypost]