MAKE WAY FOR AMMA

By Harsh Gangwani

The street was bustling with people. Too many people.

“Damn these Saturday bazaars!”(market) He groaned.

He hated stepping out on days like these. It was supposed to be his day off. Even after spending almost an hour at the market, he was nowhere close to be wide awake

He decided to head home and was just about to turn the corner when she bumped into him. He almost lost his footing to stop himself from crashing into her.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” she said apologetically.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it, “ he replied and then quickly added, “Are you okay?”

He was surprised he hadn’t knocked her over considering how fragile she seemed. Her sari limply hung over her frail body. Her jet black hair betrayed glimpses of gray strands that had sneakily escaped the dyeing brush.

Loose skin on her face had formed tiny pockets as though trying to conserve bits of remaining flesh. But her eyes, her eyes were kind. Rather deep as an ocean. And right now, they were nervously scanning the area.

“I feel ashamed to admit this, but I’m lost. Could you help me find this address?” She requested as she held up her wrist. He squinted his eyes to see something written on a bracelet which she was now warily parading in front of his face.

“Savitri Rai. Age 77. Suffering from Alzheimer’s.” It read along with an address and a phone number.

“It’s okay if you don;t know this place. I would be grateful even if you could call my family and let them know where I am.”

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “I left in a bit of a hurry. So I forgot my phone at home. But I know this locality and your house is on the way to mine. I could take you, if you’re okay with it.”

“God bless you, my dear. You’re too kind.”

“What is your name?” She asked as they began walking. “How old are you? Are you married?” She added before he could answer her first query.

He laughed at the flurry of questions she had thrown his way. “I’m Aarav. I’m 28 years old and I just got married yesterday” he relayed in a tone that a person being interviewed would adopt.

Savitri’s face flushed with a huge smile that lifted her little cheekbones up and congratulated him for starting a new, rather a beautiful phase of his life

“How was the wedding? Who’s the lucky bride? How do your parents feel?” questions followed.

“My wife Mia, words fall short to describe her beauty and understanding. Her and I have grown up under the enormous shadow and comfort of my granny, and not to sound complaining but my granny loves her more than me, haha! In fact, she is the one who made the wedding possible!”

With wide gleaming eyes, Savitri exclaimed joy and said, “That’s too sweet, I’m happy for you and wish you luck and joy!”

He thanked her for her blessings while she seemed a little taken aback, “Do you know you’re wearing different slippers?”

“Oh, haha, my mother woke me up to run an errand. So I kind of rushed out without noticing. He gave a sheepish grin.

“My son is just like you. His wife has to remind him to pick up after himself all the time, and they are always bickering about these small things. But they make a nice pair. You can see they love each other a lot. They have a baby boy. You must come home to see him. He’s adorable. Very playful!”

Aarav broke into a smile, “Your family sounds fun”.

“Oh, you should see them. They’re a lively lot. Never a dull moment in the house. The other day my daughter-in-law made pumpkin for dinner and she was happy to see my grandson’s plate licked clean. That was until she saw the dog’s muzzle stained orange.”

“Hahaha, your grandson seems like quite the troublemaker, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, he is. No doubt about that. But he has a kind soul. Sometimes when I have trouble sleeping at night, he says, ‘ Amma I’ll sing for you’ He calls me Amma, did I tell you that? He has an angelic voice, that boy. I love him so much. I don’t know what I would do without him”

“I’m sure he loves you just as much. It must be really nice to have such a charming grandmother. He’s surely lucky to have you.”

Aarav suddenly stopped and pointed at a building.

“I believe this is where you live”

“Yes. It is. Thank you so much. You must come in for a cup of tea and meet my family,” Savitri said.

“Okay, only if you insist.”

They stood outside the apartment as Savitri rang the doorbell a couple of times, but there was no response. Aarav gave it a moment, then dug into his pocket, conjured a key and opened the door.

Once inside, he announced, “Ma, Mia, I found her. Amma’s home.”

By Harsh Gangwani