AFTER YOU

CHAPTER V: BUT YOUR LOVE LASTS FOREVER.

A cool breeze blows past my eyes. Quite peaceful. I was on my way home around four p.m. in the evening. Passing by the roads and footpaths, music provides me with a constant companion. The cold wind causing a tickling sensation in my body. The mind open with thousands of thoughts about life and past. How life has overcome all obstacles and never given up, how it has been both a rollercoaster of happiness and a journey of pain. It taught me lessons and gave me a new perspective on life. My mother once said to me as a child, "Beta! Life is more than just living and dying; it is also about learning. It will teach you a lesson and help you understand the perspective of life. Always remember to help others and never hurt them: 'Help ever hurt never.'" At that time, I could never understand what my mother was trying to say, but as I've grown older, I've realized its importance and perception.

I make a stop on the road near the bakery. I cross the footpath and enter the bakery. "Two red velvet cakes, please." I place an order. Speaking of my mother, I had forgotten she hadn't spoken to me in nearly two months. So, to make her happy, I brought her favorite cake.

It was around 5:30 p.m. when I arrived home. The sun was about to set. I removed my shoes and went outside my mother's room. "Mumma," I said softly, and knocked on the door.

No response (sigh).

"Mumma," I knocked again. "Are you still not going to talk to me?"

No response (sighs again).

I was about to knock again when the door opened on its own. I went in. It was totally dark. I turned on the lights. "Mumma! I've brought your favorite cake." Suddenly, tears fall from my eyes. "Mumma!" I cried aloud, my voice cracking. "Talk to me." I yelled and fell to the ground. The flowers from her photo fell down and approached me. I looked at her frame. The uncontrollable emotions began to pour out in a continuous stream of tears. "I miss you! I miss you. I miss you." My body shivering with pain. "You should not have left so early. Why did you?" My vision was blurry with tears as I tried to see her face. As in, I fell unconscious to the ground.

"Beta! Why have you cried? Huh?" It was Mumma's voice. "I'm always with you."

I stood up. I was in Mumma's home backyard, where I spent the majority of my childhood with my mother and maternal grandparents, with whom I shared many memories and stories.

"Mumma," I said. She was right in front of me.

She raised her brows and smiled. "My Raja Beta." She held my face and wiped away the tears.

"Why did you leave, Mumma?" I started crying hard again.

"Look here and stop crying." She, too, shed tears. "I never left; I am always with you." She pointed to the tree where we used to sit beneath it, and I used to make Mumma tell me stories.

I look towards it and said, "I know, Mumma, it's time to move on." I closed my eyes and took a long breath. My breathing became louder. "I tried to seek refuge in the shade, but the sun would always return. Everything is here, Mumma, but I am lonely without you."

I slept in her lap. She smiled and said nothing, and her tears fell on my cheeks.

From my diary:-

Your smile was the price of my happiness.
Everyone used to ask me who I loved the most, and I would scream and say my mother.
You showered me with love even when I didn't deserve it.
There could be others who love me, but your love lasts forever.