Short story of a mom and a son.. You can’t control everything. It is much beyond your abilities. But you can create a safe environment for yourself, in which you may feel secure and happy. Nothing is perfect. So you would still have dependencies and roots. Your dependencies may change but you can’t change your roots, you can’t get rid of them either. You would always have duties against them and you would be obliged to behave accordingly once their times come.
We were on the road for more than an hour and she had been talking in a bad temper repeatedly without a break since the beginning.
“25 years and,” She started again.
I completed the sentence in my mind, ‘7 months’.
She continued, “7 months. I have always been a good wife to him. I have always been nice to his family and never said anything bad about them. Never. What I got in return is nothing, nothing but dissatisfaction. You have seen their looks, as if it was my fault. How possibly could it be my fault? Idiots!” She kept talking. It was really irritating. I tried to ignore her impossibly.
I was at a business meeting when Dad called me the day before. He was almost unable to talk. He finally managed to tell it to me with his trembling voice that his father was dead. I was expecting such a phone call from him any time. He was 88 years old. In my opinion it was a good age to say goodbye to the world.
Dad had been providing him companionship at the hospital for a week. He decided to stay with him after the doctor informed him that he was at death’s door. Mom was alone at home during that time. It was just an hour distance by plane but she didn’t visit him.
It is the familial bond that obliges you to attend some of the family gatherings. A family member’s funeral is no exception.
So I had to be there for the funeral. I took four days off, packed a small bag with a few clothes and flew to GH on that night. I arrived at the airport after midnight. I checked in at a hotel near the airport and hardly got some sleep.
Visitation would start at 10:00AM until the funeral services, which was at 11:00AM and then the burial. There would be a private gathering for family members and close friends after the burial.
I was at their house just after 9:00AM. Most of the family members were there. It was a big family. Mom was there, too. I sensed it immediately when I looked at her face that there was something wrong. I had seen such impression on her face a million times and I knew it wasn’t good. She might easily make life miserable for the people around her.
It came out during the gathering, as our family had a very short conversation. She had already said to Dad that she felt very sick and wanted to leave and go back home. It wasn’t true of course. I knew that as well as him. He didn’t say anything but had to accept it. It was her judgment and her decision as always.
I had to take her to the airport. We left almost immediately. I thought it would take just an hour for me to get rid of her. But the universe has another plan for us. It was frustrating to find out there were no flights available within the next 4 hours. I knew what was going to happen. She didn’t fail me. I was going to have to drive her home. It was a 4 hours drive. I was tired and sleepless but they weren’t the issues. It was impossible to tolerate her with such a temper for another 4-5 hours and more.