“Ajay?
Vijay? Anyone home?” It was a quite wierd reaction from the family.
Sanjana replied “Daddy, they are studying. Please don't disturb
them.” I was stunned... I went off their house, took my bicycle and
got my way to home. Althogh I was on the road, but my mind, was still
with Aju, Viju. Why they did like this with me? Was that over
affection that bothered me. My eyes were filled with flashlight
alongwith some salty droplets of water. As I gained my senses, I saw
a young boy trying to lift me up from the ground. “Uncle, are you
OK?”. “Yes beta, I am ok. May got bless you. Thank you”. Was I
really OK? He gave me my cycle back lifting it up from the ground.
I
came home. Kaveri was waiting for me at the tea. “Did you fall
somewhere?” she asked. YES! It felt like I have fallen from the
high skies right on the ground. “No, I am OK!! Where's my tea?”
She applied some antiseptic on my bruises at the elbow. But it was
not my elbow that got hurt. It was my feelings that got broken. I
kept smiling at her innocence. “You have gone mad. It's bleeding
and you are laughing” said Kaveri. I was still smiling. I didn't
came to know how I got that bruises. I was caring for some deeper
bruises.
I
had my evening tea without uttering a word. Watched news. It showed
some building collapse in Mumbai. But nowhere was the news of my
feelings which were crushed into powder. I kept on searching that by
checking each channel. “Can you please let me watch at least one
channel at a time”. I again smiled at her and gave her the remote.
She saw some of her daily soaps. I went out to assemble my folding
bed and mosquito net and slept quietly.
“It's
4:00 PM? Are you sure you not going to Sr. Citizen park?” asked
Kaveri. “Ya ya... I m going”. Can I really go there? What if i go
there and again go to meet my Aju, Viju? Will they meet me today or
just ignore me like yesterday? Will i be able to handle that pain
again? “You OK na?” Kaveri asked. “Hmm... I won't go today. I
have got my cycle punctured.”
I
was sitting in my lawn, thinking about what I got. I love Aju Viju
more than I loved Vikram. They are my lives. How can I be without
them. I just need my Aju-Viju. Aju-Viju... Aju-Viju...
“Heyy!!
What happened? Tell me. Why are you crying? Why are you saying
Aju-Viju again n again?”. I opened my eyes. They were again filled.
It was Kaveri holding our tea-cups and snacks in a tray. It was now
unbearable for me. I cried for them. “Kaveri, I am their
grandfather. How can they do this to me? I love them alot”. Kaveri
was silent. She had nothing to say. She also got some tears watching
me cry. “We have got old now, they are kids no more. They have
their own busy lives...” I was just silent, sipping my tea. May be
I was their unwanted guest now...
