SIMI’S MA - #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

 

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“Ma, why the long face?”

Simi swooped down on her pensive mother, swinging her around as she used to when she was a teenager. Her mother’s face lit up at the sight of her beloved daughter.

“Simoo, when did you get here? Why didn’t you let us know you were coming.” She gave her a bear hug, pausing only to ask, “Where is Akshat? I hope he has come as well.”

“Oh, Akshat had a boring conference to attend. He will be here tomorrow,” replied Simi irreverently, grinning at the shocked expression on her mother’s face.

“Don’t say such things, you silly girl!” Ma remonstrated, pulling her ear in fun. “Your husband needs to be respected.”

“Of course, I respect him, Ma. However, that does not mean I need to revere him. He is, after all, a human being.”

Ma said nothing, but Simi knew she had struck a chord within her heart. She knew how much her mother had had to adjust, being married to a man, not only much older than her, but also a bit on the dour side. If Simi had developed a funny bone, it was definitely from her mother’s side of the family. The other side found it difficult to crack their muscles into a smile. The most they unbent was on their wedding days at the behest of the photographer who begged them to not look as if they were at a funeral.

Simi had hardly seen her father in an affable mood, even when she was growing up. Her irrepressible personality evoked frowns from him, especially when there were visitors at home. Mealtimes at home were gloomy occasions when they would have to eat in silence. Often, Simi would look at her friends’ fathers longingly as they laughed and joked with their children. That world seemed so far away and unattainable to her.

Luckily, Ma was different when she was away from her husband. She would take Simi for little treats to the stores, sometimes buying her ice cream when she felt that the atmosphere at home was particularly trying. Ma and she would run along the lake that flowed alongside their home, waving at people in the boats that slipped by.

Ma at home was a different person when her husband was around. Simi called him Baba but she hardly knew him. His gruff voice, his disapproving glances and his strict regimen would curb her wild spirit for the moment, but those moments did not last long. For the moment Baba stepped out, Ma and she would turn into comrades in arms, laughing and joking as they spent precious time together.

When Simi got married to Akshat, Ma was the one most affected. Baba’s life went on like a placid stream, unruffled by anything joyful. Ma missed her child desperately. For years they had been companions.

Simi pulled at Ma’s hand. “What are you thinking off? Where is my Ma’s beautiful smile?”

“I feel it went along with you when you left home!”

The rejoinder was instant, and Simi was taken aback. Never had Ma said anything so poignant, so laced with bitterness and her heart broke.

“Ma, isn’t it time you tackled Baba and spoke to him about how you feel? You have repressed your feeling for too long.”

Ma smiled sadly. “You know your Baba. Do you think he will even listen?”

Simi pressed Ma’s hand gently. She could feel the rough calluses on it, a trait of a hand that had never stopped working. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. She could not recall one word of appreciation that came out of her father’s mouth, not one compliment for her mother. She began to weep as feelings of desperation assailed her. How could she leave her Ma and go away? She who was the only source of joy in her Ma’s life?

Ma sensed what was going through her daughter’s chaotic mind. She smiled at her, wiping her tears away.

“Don’t cry, child. This is the life I have chosen for myself. Your Baba is not an expressive man, as you know. However, he has taken care of me in his own way.”

Simi gazed at Ma’s face that seemed calm, almost resigned. There was no rancour or discontent on it. She realised that Ma was trying to tell her something in that moment.

“Simi, there are so many women in the world who have borne physical and emotional abuse from their husbands. So many who have turned into mental wrecks due to sadistic behaviour and domestic violence! Have you ever, even once, witnessed any such behaviour at home? Has your Baba lifted a finger against me or you?”

“Then why did you say that your beautiful smile left along with me?”

“That was just a momentary pang when I saw you after so many days, my child. That does not mean that I am living a miserable life here.”

People were made differently. Some were cheerful, others stayed serious. Some smiled and joked, others were like wallflowers.

Ma was like a hardy flower that could thrive anywhere. She had adjusted to her marriage and learnt to live with a man who smiled little, yet took care of her in the way he knew best.

That day Simi learnt a life lesson that she would never forget.

Ma had learnt to stay happy by making a bouquet of those flowers within reach.

I am participating in the February #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay Challenge.

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