Monday, March 20, 2006

Remember me

Another day. I wake up with the sun and utter a small prayer. Then the usual brush,wash and rush. I miss the 8 am bus. Been missing it as long as I can remember. Alas, if only I had known I would miss it even today, these few minutes could be spent for a decent breakfast than waiting for the next bus. I move over to the bus stop. Three schoolgirls and a middle aged lady seated on one of the three slabs, engaged in conversation.Without warning, my cellphone starts buzzing. I take out the damn thing from my bag..'damn' because the vibration makes my hand numb, as I sit on a slab clutching tight my jacket. A cold day. Oh, the alarm buzzing. November 15, 2005. Today. Why did I mark this day on my calendar? The image changes.

I see a teenager bending over something, her fingers on her temples, frowning..concentrating. An old man sits before her. He is as calm as the girl is tensed. I should've guessed. It's a game of chess they are playing. Minutes pass in silence. Two moves from both sides and a quick third move by the old man. I see the White Queen being taken out.

"Oh no. One chance, Ajja. Just one more chance. I didn't see the queen there."
"No baba.. I already gave you a chance. How else would you learn?"
"Yeah OK..but stop calling me that. You know I don't like that name. Call me by my name."

For a moment, their eyes meet. One moment. Eternity.

"Your name...your.."

The man goes blank.

Two months later, he was diagnosed with dementia.


I see the old man again, this time on the bed. His eyes lie unfocused on the ceiling. A dull clunk of a glass of something being placed on the table. His eyes shift to the girl beside him, now hastily smoothening the sheets on his bed. He continues to look at her with a slight frown, as if trying to remember something. She seeks a smile on his face. A smile..that sign of recognition.

Did she get one, I do not know.


A thump on my back. "Hey, what are you thinking?"
Huh? Where am I? How did I get here? The man..the girl..where are they?

The schoolgirls must have gone. I don't see the lady either. I look at the person on my right. The sudden smile on my face must have alarmed her.

"Happy birthday", I say, trying hard not to sound breathless.
Her face lights up. "Oh! You remember. How nice!"


Yes..I remember..I remember..

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Masterpiece.

Anonymous said...

lovely.awesome.....u cum up wit awesome things!

Akshatha Hegde said...

ah..its nothing i 'came up with'..its life.

pourush said...

brilliantly put girl..ur linkz goin in my 'see-asap' list..

Anonymous said...

They say to write something beautiful,one most have grieve in one's heart.Now I can understand that.And you also know that the ones we love never die.They live in our memories forever.By the way if develop in spiritual science , you can also talk with them by Astral Projection!

Anonymous said...

put "you" there^ after if.

Anonymous said...

What a story! I bet this is a real life incident. Do give us more..

Anonymous said...

wow what a story.