Sam stood in the waiting room anxiously for the doctor to
come out and give him some news about his mother, whom he had not seen for
years he did not remember. Life seemed
to give all he wanted, a good job with a fancy salary which supposedly kept him
and his mother happy. Only thing was that he could not share much of his joy
because his work kept him away from his mother.
It was 9:00 and he was done for the day, all he wanted was
to buy some take-in food and crash on the couch. He thought for a change he would
call his mother for it had been a long time. Nostalgia hit him as he bought his
food. He remembered how his single mother would sit with him in his every meal
no matter how busy she was and how he longed for the meal time to come soon. An hour later he had a call that
he never expected he would get, for he had forgotten that nobody can stay
forever.
The doctor came to the waiting room, it was only a few
minutes he had waited but it seemed ages. Sam always resented the doctors, but
his mother was there every time with him. He realized he was still intimidated
by a doctor with his mother not present. Pushing aside his fears he was trying
to understand the heavy words that were coming out of the doctor’s mouth. All
he could grab words like terminal illness, lung cancer and last stage. As
reality struck into him he just rushed into his mother’s room and looking at
his Iron lady surrounded by the thick pipes and the humming machines he just
broke down. Tears were trickling down his eyes after 20 years, he had stopped
crying to act like the man of his house. Without his mother there was no house.
It seemed as if existence had ceased and time kept on a hold. He recollected
how his mother would come with him for his baseball classes, swim with him, do
everything that other’s dad did but defend him from everyone like other’s
mother do.
He thought when his mother woke up he would just see the
fire of anger in her eyes, but the loving mother had nothing but love
compassion and forgiveness. She spent her last days with her son. When she
passed away, he went to their old house, his mother had decorated the house for
her son’s welcome for which he had planned not to come. Her death bought in all
the good memories and regret. He found a gift for him. His mother had gifted
him her forgiveness and a way to atone by gifting an old age home that she built
with all the money he had sent to her.
His eyes filled with tears, all he could say was, “Mom, I
love you! “.
