The day was cold yet cosy. The sun came out after a long slumber. The withered edges of leaves were glistening again. Basking in the winter sunshine lalita was lost in times of the shrilly winters. A naïve caring mother she wanted the best for her kids. Distanced from her husband in space and thoughts, she got up every morning to see her kids rushing the school bus. She made sure they never missed the school bus and a greater school called life. Years rolled by she toiled single-handedly to smoothen the rough edges of her children‘s lives. She did succeed but it was not a merry go round her. Her carefree gurgling laughter became a restrained smile. Her jovial demeanor oscillated between caution and paranoia as the situation demanded.
Her train of thoughts was jerked... She needed some more coffee to start off. As she got off the chair suddenly a piece of crumbled paper caught her eyes. “What is it? She asked adjusting her tilted glasses
As she opened the tattered folds and tried to decipher the barely legible words “You will never steal my gaze, coz I am always watching you lovingly.” This was enough to put her on a red alert .., “who could it be messing up with me this time….” As she rolled her eyes to locate its progenitor. But to no avail …nobody was there. Her mind was working at the Einsteinium speed and it did not take her long to deduce that it was meant for her daughter …. “Anubha” she called out loudly .Her College going daughter who was much the same as her in looks appeared unperturbed “Is this yours?’ she asked “what” she snatched the paper and read on “wow!! that is cool mom ,who has written it “well that is what I wanted to know from you dear” “oh mom stop kidding I have not written it you know I cant write half as good as this “ “don’t act smart !I have seen your crow legged letters! Who has written it?” Her voice was stern “I don’t know and I am not seeing anyone “. She was convinced that it was hers but she knew that her daughter was really not seeing anyone. So who could be the anonymous threat??
While lost in calculating the probability of some neighbor involved in it as on prior occasions she noticed her tenant’s brother sorting his documents. Heaped in piles of paper lalita saw a logical connect in suspecting him. She popped up and asked ‘Veda is this yours?” He looked at it at and realized her frenzied state and denied having anything to do with it .But he did pass on the ball to his brother in law’s courts with whom he was not sharing good vibes of late .Lalita was livid now for she had always held her tenants in good stead and that was the last thing she expected from them. “Is it yours Mr Chaudhary?” By now he had some inkling of the paper gate issue he was quick to deny it but his wife insisted on a handwriting check to make Lalita Doubly sure. The handwriting check was done and Mr Chaudhary came out unoffended. Mr .chaudhary was extremely hurt at this and so was his wife while Lalita was still at knots with the paper mystery. For others it was a trivial thing but she had the habbit of blowing things this way. Perhaps it had outgrown of her extremely cautious and protective attitude towards her family. She would scarcely let things go off.
For days the secret of the supposed love letter to her daughter dodged her. While she was still struggling to decode the secret her cell phone buzzed. It was her son who was working in Noida with an IT firm “Mom how are you?” this was enough for her to throw the entire story again.Son was intrigued “Mom were you wearing the Black jacket I bought for you last September”
“Err…. I did. But what has the jacket got to do with it?” She was perplexed. He was in splits “Why the hell are you laughing your lungs out?” she asked cluelessly “Had you really cared to check out its pockets you would have known the secret of the love note.”
Lalita checked the pockets again and found out the other half of the tattered note
It read “You will never steal my gaze, coz I am always watching you lovingly, My mother as you watched me getting up and tottering,
As you heard me uttering the first ramblings,
As you fed me under your bosom,
As you warmed me with your touch,”
Love you for all you did to make me worthwhile!!”
Lalita was overwhelmed and laughed loud. “But don’t you tell this to chaudhary, he is a good man.”
