Survival- part 1

Survival- part 1

We all knew her as the cranky old lady who lived in the farmhouse next to the village road. As kids we never bothered about her thrashings or abuses that were showered on us when we were caught stealing mangoes from her yard in summer or fishing from her pond on other days. We only bothered doin our business of stealing. People said she lived in the huge house all alone and the loneliness made her cranky. She didn't bother to talk to the neighbours. Her only aquaintance I believe was Mala, the deaf daughter of the bangle monger who came thrice a week to clean the house. Her disability being the advantage as she never heard what the old woman blabbered or screamed. As kids we wondered when she would go out and leave the gardens for us to plunder. Unfortunately for us...she never left the house nor did she die despite of her ever greying hair and toothless face...so we were turned into thieves and took pleasure in the 'stealing business' as things were not goin on as we wished.

When i left to join work in the city, not much of the old lady's memories remained in my mind. Years later when I returned there were lots of other things occupyin my memory space....I wanted to visit my relatives..one last time. A painful divorce, a retarding career and dead parents...life had taken away everythin ...and over that my doctor declared I had cancer...life was to end ..i refused to get treated...who do i live for!

That was the night ...a night of a heavy downpour...when my car broke down near the village road..........