On the way to my in-laws' place, we stayed with L for a day in Hyderabad. She stays alone, waiting for her husband to join her from Singapore and for the first time her loneliness was telling in what she spoke and did. She doesn't have children and while I don't think back in 2003 that's what she wanted, somewhere down the line she made that choice with the turn life took. It didn't feature in our subsequent discussions and she's been fond of my kids, more so of Rishi, in a sort of detached way. This time she seemed agitated, more than once mentioned that it was a big place for her to live alone and the night before we started, wanted to give money as gift to the kids. I protested and she said, "You should not say no. You know I don't have kids of my own" and proceeded to shed tears. I froze, said a little of what struck my mind but it just wrung my heart. Oh, the last thing I want is for L to start feeling sorry for her life!
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