Nostalgia

The night was dark and it was raining heavily. The old lady sat on her rocking chair. Her frail hands ran around her swollen knee. Moving about wasn’t that easy for her theses days – with a blister on her right knee and a swollen wound on her left. However, she had gone about making the bed and tidying the living room all day. Her son would arrive the next day, and a dirty living room with clothes piled over in the corners would not be a rather pleasant sight for him.

The lady stared across the windowpanes into the darkness that bound her backyard. The fresh smell of the monsoon rains filled her room. She trod across to take her needles and yarn. And inhaling, the minty smell of the rains, she started to knit. Soon enough, the lady fell back into her nostalgic past. She remembered vividly, that her son had been born on a rainy night like this. Her cries while taking out the baby echoed in her mind.

“It’s a baby boy, dear! And look at that, he has deep brown eyes and black hair just like you “

That was her granny, who was one of the first people to see the new born. The faint cries of the baby broke the silence in her life. That bundle of joy was all she cared for, everything that she ever wanted. She had spent many sleepless nights, putting her baby to sleep. However, motherhood made her enter a happy phase in life - filled with the innocent laughs of her son.

The old lady smiled as she thought about her son’s childhood days. That day, when he broke the pickle jar and made an excuse that the cat did it- still remains picture perfect in her mind. He had climbed up their apple tree, so that his mother wouldn’t get a good aim for a whack. Oh! and those days when he used to cry all the way to school and she would promise to by him a bean candy if he remained cheerful in school.

As lightning struck outside, the old lady woke up from her thoughts and resumed her knitting. The crackling of thunder however brought in horrendous memories. Memories about her husband Tom. He had deep set blue yes, and well tanned skin. His gentlemanly demeanor made her fall for Tom. And, surely he treated her like a queen - all through till his death.

Fear swept by the old lady’s face as she remembered the day she heard the news of Tom’s death. She had been cooking porridge for Tom. Tom had told her that he had gone on an official trip to Asia. And in about, a couple of minutes she anticipated his arrival. There was a knock on the door, and she quickly sprung it wide open. But to her dismay, it was Tom’s brother. He held a fearful expression on his face as he spoke of Tom’s airplane crash. And the next thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital, being told that she’ blacked out’ three days ago.

The cuckoo clock chimed twelve. And the bird sprang out to announce the time. The old lady wiped a tear droplet from her cheeks and put her yarns and needles aside. She lifted herself from the rocking chair and was about fold some clothes- when she heard the calling bell ring.

The old lady’s heart started pounding rapidly. Her son was on a flight to her place. He had told her that he would reach by 3 in the morning. Praying that, it wouldn’t be any other person; bearing horrible news- she opened the door.

A huge figure clasped her and spoke with a booming voice.

“Mom, I’m home!!“