FAMILY STORY

                                                  "TALISMAN OF DREAMS"

06:00 am

Rohini sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, she felt as if she was looking at a total stranger. She splashed her face with cold water and took a second look. She grimaced. Was this old, haggard looking woman really her? She looked older than her fifty years. The wrinkles freely patterning her face and the droopy sad eyes only seemed to increase her age. Where was the beautiful, carefree girl of fifteen? Her friends used to call her- Smiley -face, because she couldn’t stop grinning. Now, after all these years, she attempted a smile. Her image looked even more distorted. She gave up and went to the kitchen to make filter coffee.

09:00 am

The heat was now building up in the kitchen. Rohini straightened her aching back. She was done with her daily cooking. Chennai was literally becoming a furnace, these days, reflected Rohini. She thought fondly back of her childhood days in Delhi. She had been an only child and a tomboy. Her parents had been so strict, yet she had never minded. Youth had given her plenty of confidence. She remembered how eagerly she had looked forward to medical school. But, her father had put his foot down and insisted on her getting married. All her dreams had come crashing down. Now, her parents were no more. She missed them, though she had little in common with them. They were a part of her carefree youth.

10:00 am

Her husband was now sitting in the hall, reading his newspaper. He was a nice enough man who had given her two beautiful children. Now, their kids were away in college. Her husband had retired and was mostly at home now. She had spent all these years with her children, helping them realize their dreams. Now that they had left the nest, she felt depressed. I am going to get some groceries, she softly told her husband. The newspaper lowered. She felt she was looking at a complete stranger.

11.30 am

Her shopping done, Rohini headed back home. Her husband would be waiting for his lunch. Instead of taking the usual route, she took a detour. She was feeling restless today. She felt her life had been a total waste. She had always lived other people’s dreams. What had she done for herself? A noise nearby roused her from her thoughts. She saw a local potter arranging his pots by his hut. A bright patch of colour caught her attention. She had forgotten her glasses. She went closer to take a better look. A pair of painted masks looked cheekily back at her. They were sticking their tongues out at her, as though egging her on. She knew they were not for sale. They were probably placed by the potter to ward off the evil eye. Yet, they seemed to be there, specially for her. There was something endearingly familiar about them. After many years, Rohini really smiled. Suddenly, she felt years younger. She hurried back home.

Months later…

Trring… Rohini picked up the phone. It was her daughter from New Jersey.

“Mom, I saw a write up about your mask making work shop online. You are famous. I never knew you could even paint!” she exclaimed.

Rohini smiled. There are a lot of things you don’t know about your old mom, she retorted cheekily. Life had given her a new lease and this time, she was going to grab it by the horns.

__END__

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