Mother's day

It was past Eleven when Kalyan turned up from work . He tried to open the door as quietly as possible. He did not want to wake up his mother. He quietly closed the door behind him pulling the jamb so that the lock would not click close. He quietly slid the door jamb into its housing and turned around. The house was silent.
"Good" he thought to himself as he undid his shoes.
He quietly tip toed into his room and changed into his pyjamas. He quietly slid the trousers into the clothes hanger and hung it from the ward robe and turned around.
He literally died of shock! There was a form standing in the doorway. It was dark and lit by light from behind. Its hands were doing something behind its head , it was tying its hair in knots.
It was laughing.!.
'Ma, you scared me" he said clutching his pounding heart!
"he he he.. " she was laughing as she went to the switch board and turned the light on.
"Who asked you not to turn the light on. ?" she chortled as she kept giggling and walked towards the kitchen
It had become a habit for his mom. She would wake up irrespective of the time of the night he came home. He quietly hid the bunch of roses he had bought for her in his ward robe. She would have noticed had she waited for the tube light to turn on. "Thank god for tubelights " he thought to himself.

He wanted to surprise her the next day.  His mother generally was not fond of all these new found days, but it did not deter him. He was going to treat her. This was the first mother's day that came by after he got his first job and he was not going to miss the chance.
He heard the microwave humming as he came out washing himself. He joined her in the kitchen.
The food was laid out in small pecan bowls . The potato curry was steaming hot. He took the bowl in his hands and started eating from it.
"Stop it. Put it in the plate and eat ." his mom chided him
"mmm...hmmm" he mumbled chewing on a potato.
"Incorrigible.. " she muttered as she changed bowls in the microwave.
He gave her a toothy grin with mouthful of potato.
She slapped her foreheads with her palm and muttered some prayer to god.
"Where is appa?" he asked
" Oh, he had to go to Bangalore. Sudden visit" she explained. His father was a busy man and was often hopping cities .


"Come.." she called out as she deftly collected all the small pecan bowls in her hands and moved to the dining table.
"Ma, you go and sleep, I will eat by myself.. " he muttered
"Why? you will have that silly novel in your hands and eat for two hours.. what habit is that? come finish your dinner and read the book.. ",
"mmmhhmm..mmm" he muttered a whine having been discovered.
"I'm your mother, don't think am stupid. " she said smiling at the same time rubbing her back.
"mmm" he mumbled as he quietly served himself and gulped down the food.
"How long will you come late like this?" she asked, changing topics
"Don't know.. am a fresher.. have to learn as much as possible and work hard.." he said
"Kalpana comes home by eight dailly.. why cant you?" she asked. Kalpana was his big sister and she worked in Bangalore.
"Ma, she is a manager and am a newbie.. " he tried to explain
"So? " she asked innocently not really grasping the point.
"never mind.. I will have to slog for six months more at least.. " he said trying to simplify the point.

As he washed up, he decided to tease her.
"I have a surprise for you ma. " he said watching her.
She was still busily scratching herself. She turned and looked at him curiously, her interest was obviously piqued.
"What is it?" she asked smiling slowly, as she collected the bowls to place them for washing.
"He quietly went to her back and started scratching her back.."
"hey, its paining. stop it.. " she
"Ok, " he said taking his hands off
"What is the surprise?" she again asked him
"Wait till  morning" he said smiling.
"Hey, Hey, tell me now .. " she was almost pleading.
"No.. " he said in a sing song tune
"hmm.. its paining my back.." she said giving up her quest
"Wait I will get some moov spray.." he said.
"Who asked you to get up and do everything? You could have gotten a good sleep na.." he chided her as he applied the moov spray on her back.
"mm... " she halfheartedly mumbled.

Soon, she went off to her bedroom and the lights went off. He turned to his novel. He was half way through Pirate Latitudes and things were getting interesting with the plot.  He wanted to read a bit before he hit the sack.Soon, he was enamored by the adventure of 'Hunter' and his crew.
He was disturbed from his trance by the chime of the clock . He looked up at the clock and it was midnight.
He suddenly hit on an idea and retrieved the rose bunch from his wardrobe. He quietly slipped into his mother's bedroom tip toeing to ensure he does not wake her up.
She slept very lightly and woke up for even the tiniest of sounds.  He slowly tip toed to her and softly called out to her
"ma... "
She was sound asleep.
"Maa.." he said a little louder
Still no sign. Must be tired. "Should I just give it to her in the morning?" he asked himself.
"Maaa" he called again, this time placing his palm on her arms to stir her up.

"Maa, wake up maa.. " he said in his normal tone not bothering to be soft any longer.
Still there was no sound and his mother was showing no sign of stirring up.
He started patting her arms firmly calling out.. "Maa.. "
"Maa... "..
"Maaaa.. " He just then realized that her hands were cold. The AC was not running and why was she cold?
"Maaaaaaa... wake up ma... " He started feeling week in his knees and cold . An unexplainable fear started gripping him.. and he started sobbing without realizing it
"Maa.. wake up ma.. Its mother's day ma... Ma.a.a.. "
--------

Epilogue.
The doctors later said that she had died of a massive heart attack. Kalyan and Kalpana are still in a state of shock and are finding it difficult to believe that their mother is no longer with them. Such is the brutality of life. One moment, everything appears normal and the next minute it isn't and it has changed permanently.

NOTE: This is based on a true incident. Names, places have been changed as a mark of respect. This short story is dedicated to the departed mother who gave it all to her children though all the rough paths of life that she endured. All the time ensuring that her children were well fed, well educated and well tutored. She leaves behind two daughters , a son and a husband. May god give the family strength and caress them back to normalcy and bless them all.