He was lying down on his mom’s
lap after a sumptuous lunch. It was one of those rare days off late when he got
to spend some time with her. Last few days have been quite busy when he was
away with a bunch of his friends visiting the suburbs of the holy city. He knew
his mom will be annoyed for totally ignoring her. Though his other siblings
were around he knew he had a special place in her heart. After all she suffered
quite a lot while she was pregnant with him and even afterwards.
Her fragile long fingers found in
roads into his dense locks of hair. He loved it when she pampered him with this
beautiful experience of motherly affection. She could see him absorbed in bliss
which reflected in his lovely face. Memories came back to her about the struggle
she and her husband had to go through on the day when he was born. They had to
manage with whatever facilities that were available. The long walk, the limited
resources, a few helping hands from the local folks, everything seems to have
happened long back. On hindsight everything was worth it.
While her thoughts drifted away
she could see in his eyes that something had been bothering him. It was quite
natural for her to enquire. His reply was not a total surprise for her though it
stirred some unpleasant thoughts in her mind. “How long mom, do I get to experience
this love of yours? You always wanted me to live for others. I never got to
spend enough time with you at least after I grew up. I lived for them, the
people. You always had this argument that they needed me more and that’s what I
did. But I guess it is time.”
She knew what was coming next and
stopped him. The words of the old man she met at the church came back to her. After
her meeting with him there was hardly a night without that terrible dream. She saw
her bleeding heart; the same sword was again cutting through her. She could
handle this no longer.
Experience told her not to ask
but the emotion of being a mom overruled that. She couldn’t resist but ask him.
“Isn’t there anything you could do?” He looked up at her and gave that smile
which had always melted her heart. She knew that smile and its meaning. He told
her, “You know very well than me. Didn’t Gabriel tell you all this long back?
So why this question now?”
She knew it and a silence engulfed
them.
