Topic started by Bhargavi (@ 1cust202.tnt2.bloomington.il.da.uu.net) on Wed Apr 17 12:18:23 .
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Raja’s mother looked quite tensed when she first was asked to pass through the scanner in the airport. His mother was a very simple woman, like all the other Indian women, didn’t want to be touched by anyone else.
After many years Raja had come back home, to his village to see his mother. It was quite a pride for her, that her son was a foreigner & has come to visit her. They had suffered a lot for money after Raja’s father died in an accident .His mother had somehow managed to give him good education. Raja loved his mother. But now he did not want to come back to India. His plan was to take his mother to New York and never come back again.
“Mrs. Kamala “came a voice from the baggage identification room. Raja asked his mother to come with him. She was totally unaware of this announcement in all the chaotic excitement that was going on within her.
She didn’t want to leave her village, her house in which she had all her memories of the past 35years.But somehow she was feeling happy that she could now be with her only son. But the thought of western culture & habits made her feel nostalgic. She had seen some of the scenes that they show in the news & some T.V programs. Thoughts were pouring into her mind.
Soon they were in the flight. This was all new for her. She was looking at everything, as a child would see things for the 1st time. As the flight took off, she literally shouted out of fear. She would catch Raja’s hands tightly when there would be some jerks or shakes. She couldn’t even sleep for a minute.
Soon they arrived at the New York airport. The airport seemed like a big thing for her. She was excited & happy. They came out when she saw her daughter-in-law Julie waiting for her. She knew that Raja had married someone in USA, but was not aware that she was not an Indian.
Julie was very descent & tried to make her feel comfortable by speaking a few words in Tamil which Raja had taught her. Somehow his mother was not comfortable. When Raja & Julie would speak, she wouldn’t understand anything they were talking. She wasn’t sure if Julie knew that she didn’t know to read & write. Years ago Raja had thought her how to sign; now she knew to sign when she used to get a register mail from her son. Slowly she asked Raja if he had told Julie about this. Raja simply took her hand & told her not to worry about anything.
Days passed by. Raja’s mother was at her son’s place like a bird in a cage. Julie & Raja both would go in the morning & come back only in the evenings. Sometimes they had some appointments even in the evenings, so there would hardly be any talk .she was not aware of anything that was happening at home. Raja had told her not to open the door, not to speak on the phone etc for her security. Everyday she would watch TV or sit in the balcony & gaze at the tall raised buildings. Somehow she wanted to go back to her village. She always used to be busy; sometimes she would have many women folks at her house for gossips & her work used to keep her busy throughout. Here she was not even talking to anyone. Not even to her son with whom she stayed. but she knew both Raja & Julie cared for her & loved her.
One day she waited for Raja to come back from work, so that she could tell him about her urge to go back to her village. Raja came home& she slowly started the topic. Raja finally told her that she couldn’t go back because he sold the house & now she had no house in her village. For a long time she couldn’t speak anything. Then she started crying. Raja tried to calm her down but she couldn’t control her emotions & she fell unconscious.
Soon she was admitted in the hospital & the doctors considered it as a case of coma. The chances of getting back to normal would be 50/50.Raja couldn’t think of anything. He blamed himself for his mother’s condition.
Days passed by, but there was no improvement in her health.
The doctor had now said that she was in her last stages of survival& they couldn’t possibly figure out her disease.
Finally he decided to take her back to his village. At least he thought that her last few days should be peaceful & happy. And he knew that she would be happy only if she was in her own village.
Raja had brought back the house; he sold just for his mother. They arrived the village. Raja’s mother was taken to her house. She was unconscious for many days even there. One day she regained her conscious & she got up to do her daily routine. Raja was sleeping, when she came to wake him up with a cup of coffee. Raja was stunned. Then she told him, that she had a very strange dream of being in USA & getting depressed & sick.
Raja was happy that his mother had regained her health & now she was happy. He could see her bright face full of smiles as if she was never in coma. He knew that she had no memory of her being in New York. Everything looked just the same. As if time had stopped for a while.
He didn’t want to tell her the truth. So he laughed while he sipped the coffee…
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