25-05-2021, 07:27 PM
I went home and mom opened the door with a smile.
“I have a headache maa, so I am going to lie down”
“Oh, what happened. You were okay when you left this morning for work!”
“Yes but things happen at work. Let me just rest I’ll sleep for an hour and will be fine”
“Shall I make you some tea?”
“Nothing, I said I want to rest so leave me alone, please”
She moved aside as I rushed into my room and banged the door behind me and lay on my bed. How was I going to handle this? I lay there looking at the ceiling. Tears started to well up and I cried for a bit. Slowly the world seemed to shut out and I dozed off into sleep.
It would have been a good two hours before I woke up.
“What a jerk you are?” I thought to myself and got up when I opened my door I did not see maa in the living room. There was silence all around.
I went and showered letting the hot water flow all down my body and stood there. A mixture of anger, worry and some sense of humiliation filled my head. After a long shower I finally emerged out of my room. I could hear some noise in the kitchen and went there. Maa was brewing tea and soon she poured it out in a cup and held it for me.
“Drink it it will help with your headache”
I took the tea and gulped it down and kept the mug on the kitchen sink and walked off.
She came and sat on the sofa opposite mine and remained there for a few minutes in silence.
“At least tell me what is bothering you. I am your mother. I can’t see you like this”
I continued to remain silent. And I could see her crying in silence. As her sobs grew she got up and left to go back into the kitchen and prepare dinner. I wanted to tell her everything but how to start. I was at a loss for words. After dinner she cleaned up the table and went to her room. I browsed through channels aimlessly for about an hour and finally picked up the courage to go and see her. She was lying in her bed with the lights off.
“Maa, are you asleep?”
“No, I am not”
“Can I come in?
“Yes come in.”
I switched on the light and sat next to her on the bed.
“I am sorry I behaved badly with you today”
“Its ok I can understand your work pressure must be the reason”
“No, it was not that”
“Then?
“Well, maa…”
“Yes tell me what is bothering you”
“It was…”
“It was…common tell me what it is?”
“It was the profile that you had sent me.”
Maa got up now and sat on the bed
“What about it. Tell me what about it?”
“I… I know the person”
“Oh how come?”
“Well he was … I mean, I know him.”
“Really how come, did you go and meet him?”
“No, not today”
“Then? How do you know him. Tell me please stop this hide and seek”
“He was…well he was my driver. Vijay Singh was the guy who used to work as my driver”
On hearing this maa reacted with surprise. But there was no anger or disgust which I was expecting to see on her face.
“Maa, are you seriously interested in a man who worked for me and called me Sir?”
By then maa seemed to have gathered herself and sat straight up with her back to the wall.
“So let me understand this. You are upset that I like someone who worked as your driver.”
“Well yes…”
“And what are your reasons?”
“Reasons what more do I need?”
“Well, there must be some reason for you to feel upset, I want to hear that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am asking you something straightforward. Since you know Vijay so well. Tell me a few reasons why you think he is not fit to marry a woman like me.”
“I don’t care if he marries anyone”
“Then?”
“But not you!” I was almost about to scream but I realised the tables had turned and mom was in control of the conversation while I was getting all upset.
“So are you feeling I am not good enough for him”
“No, no, no.”
“Then?”
“But how can you marry someone who worked for me?”
“Ah now I get it. You feel it is below your dignity. Am I right?”
“What is below my dignity?”
“That your mom fell in love with a man who worked for you. Because you were his boss, because you were the clever, rich guy in this equation.”
“Dignity my foot.”
“Please don’t talk to me with that tone Sandeep, I am your mom and I am not dependent on you for living.”
Things were getting out of hand, this was not how Sandeep had planned the conversation but it was already out of hand. He made one last attempt to rescue it and turn the direction.
“Mom how will you even live with him. If you see his house then you will not be talking like this”
“For your information, I have seen his house.”
“What!!!!”
“Yes and I did not find anything so bad with it.”
“How on earth did you see his house. Wait you went to his house?”
“Does it matter. In your eyes he is some lower human being so even if he lives in a palace you will think the same.”
I just can’t believe this.
“Leave it, Sandeep now I am having a headache, can you please let me sleep in peace?”
I looked at her with an earnest desire to make her see my point of view. To be on my side but it was not working.
Mom got up from the bed and got herself a glass of water. When she returned I was still there.
“Go and sleep. I need to sleep as well.”
“Fine do as you want”
“And I don’t understand this, when I kept asking you again and again if you had any comments on this profile you kept saying go ahead, go ahead and when I did what you said you are picking up such a fight.”
Those words pierced deep. She was right and I had forfeited my right to say no precisely due to what I said.
“I have a headache maa, so I am going to lie down”
“Oh, what happened. You were okay when you left this morning for work!”
“Yes but things happen at work. Let me just rest I’ll sleep for an hour and will be fine”
“Shall I make you some tea?”
“Nothing, I said I want to rest so leave me alone, please”
She moved aside as I rushed into my room and banged the door behind me and lay on my bed. How was I going to handle this? I lay there looking at the ceiling. Tears started to well up and I cried for a bit. Slowly the world seemed to shut out and I dozed off into sleep.
It would have been a good two hours before I woke up.
“What a jerk you are?” I thought to myself and got up when I opened my door I did not see maa in the living room. There was silence all around.
I went and showered letting the hot water flow all down my body and stood there. A mixture of anger, worry and some sense of humiliation filled my head. After a long shower I finally emerged out of my room. I could hear some noise in the kitchen and went there. Maa was brewing tea and soon she poured it out in a cup and held it for me.
“Drink it it will help with your headache”
I took the tea and gulped it down and kept the mug on the kitchen sink and walked off.
She came and sat on the sofa opposite mine and remained there for a few minutes in silence.
“At least tell me what is bothering you. I am your mother. I can’t see you like this”
I continued to remain silent. And I could see her crying in silence. As her sobs grew she got up and left to go back into the kitchen and prepare dinner. I wanted to tell her everything but how to start. I was at a loss for words. After dinner she cleaned up the table and went to her room. I browsed through channels aimlessly for about an hour and finally picked up the courage to go and see her. She was lying in her bed with the lights off.
“Maa, are you asleep?”
“No, I am not”
“Can I come in?
“Yes come in.”
I switched on the light and sat next to her on the bed.
“I am sorry I behaved badly with you today”
“Its ok I can understand your work pressure must be the reason”
“No, it was not that”
“Then?
“Well, maa…”
“Yes tell me what is bothering you”
“It was…”
“It was…common tell me what it is?”
“It was the profile that you had sent me.”
Maa got up now and sat on the bed
“What about it. Tell me what about it?”
“I… I know the person”
“Oh how come?”
“Well he was … I mean, I know him.”
“Really how come, did you go and meet him?”
“No, not today”
“Then? How do you know him. Tell me please stop this hide and seek”
“He was…well he was my driver. Vijay Singh was the guy who used to work as my driver”
On hearing this maa reacted with surprise. But there was no anger or disgust which I was expecting to see on her face.
“Maa, are you seriously interested in a man who worked for me and called me Sir?”
By then maa seemed to have gathered herself and sat straight up with her back to the wall.
“So let me understand this. You are upset that I like someone who worked as your driver.”
“Well yes…”
“And what are your reasons?”
“Reasons what more do I need?”
“Well, there must be some reason for you to feel upset, I want to hear that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am asking you something straightforward. Since you know Vijay so well. Tell me a few reasons why you think he is not fit to marry a woman like me.”
“I don’t care if he marries anyone”
“Then?”
“But not you!” I was almost about to scream but I realised the tables had turned and mom was in control of the conversation while I was getting all upset.
“So are you feeling I am not good enough for him”
“No, no, no.”
“Then?”
“But how can you marry someone who worked for me?”
“Ah now I get it. You feel it is below your dignity. Am I right?”
“What is below my dignity?”
“That your mom fell in love with a man who worked for you. Because you were his boss, because you were the clever, rich guy in this equation.”
“Dignity my foot.”
“Please don’t talk to me with that tone Sandeep, I am your mom and I am not dependent on you for living.”
Things were getting out of hand, this was not how Sandeep had planned the conversation but it was already out of hand. He made one last attempt to rescue it and turn the direction.
“Mom how will you even live with him. If you see his house then you will not be talking like this”
“For your information, I have seen his house.”
“What!!!!”
“Yes and I did not find anything so bad with it.”
“How on earth did you see his house. Wait you went to his house?”
“Does it matter. In your eyes he is some lower human being so even if he lives in a palace you will think the same.”
I just can’t believe this.
“Leave it, Sandeep now I am having a headache, can you please let me sleep in peace?”
I looked at her with an earnest desire to make her see my point of view. To be on my side but it was not working.
Mom got up from the bed and got herself a glass of water. When she returned I was still there.
“Go and sleep. I need to sleep as well.”
“Fine do as you want”
“And I don’t understand this, when I kept asking you again and again if you had any comments on this profile you kept saying go ahead, go ahead and when I did what you said you are picking up such a fight.”
Those words pierced deep. She was right and I had forfeited my right to say no precisely due to what I said.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)