My mind wanders as today's 16 Jan.
The date is significant as it happens to be my mom and dad's wedding anniversary and the second after dad's passing away. I'd woken up with thoughts about them and had told myself, as I went to bed last night, to speak to mom - no, not to remind her about dad's absence but to simply know as to how she was doing.
She was chirpy as usual. Minni and Ammu had, by then left for their school, college respectively. But Minni had ensured that the nurse from the nearby pathological laboratory had come in to draw mom's blood samples. The physician, managing her, had called for her vital parameters as her 'diastole' was high and she was appreciative of the nursing staff - "I didn't even know as to when she'd inserted the needle" - who'd fetched up to draw the samples. The hard work being put in by the young man who taps the rubber trees in our compound, the hospitalisation of our neighbour on account of an erratic spleen, the frenzied preparations towards the local temple's annual festival and many more such 'bits' were the topics of our conversation. And as an afterthought, she said that she'd recall her wedding at 1142h by being at dad's corner in the sitting room of the house!
I've seen her aging faster over the past year and I presume that some of her infirmities are due to dad's exit. She must be getting used to the loneliness after having looked after the minutest requirements of dad. Their's was a beautiful relationship in that their concern for each other and the worries about me and my sisters - for no rhyme or reason, really - seemed to be the 'sine qua non' of their existence.
Tailpiece.
All the cake cutting ceremonies with a smattering of my parents' well wishers who graced the occasion, on this day in the past, came alive as I browsed through a few of the photo albums that I have. Those good old days........! Couldn't prevent my eyes going misty.
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