"How are you feeling mother?"
"Good, better than yesterday. Your soup makes me feel much better"
Her voice was thin and weak. But her sentences were purposeful and unbroken. She had not gotten out of bed for a few days because of low and weakening fever, and right now her fever was running high. But it was just like her mother to say something like that.
"Mother I know there is something I can do. You mentioned those flowers that grow near the Gulmohar Patch. I can get them for you."
"I know you can beta. You are my strong little girl."
"No ma, I am..." She thought about how to finish the sentence. Concerned, she will brush it off. Scared, will make her mother worry. Worried, she was not allowed to be.
"Mother, I insist."
"But you are only nine, bhayya. I cannot send you off all alone to that faraway part of the jungle all by yourself. It has been raining for the last three days."
"Nine and a half" Lajwanti said to herself and then loudly, "mother I have been there with you..."
"Only once and that was seven months ago. The rain and storm must have changed all the paths. Trees may have falled due to lightening, it's too risky. No no, I will be well soon."
She had made soup for three more meals. She had made up her mind. Almost. It's a difficult choice between leaving her mother alone for one and a half days to get the flowers that will almost surely cure her and being here, feeding her and mopping her body to bring the fever down, which had not worked for the last few days. It did send her to sleep for a few hours.
"Mother," she held her hand, warmer than usual and softer than usual, in a dry sort of way, "I will be back before sunset tomorrow. I promise."
Mother looked at her. Her eyes watered a little more than they were due to fever. She brought her hand to her lips and kissed her a careful dry kiss. "Okay. What has to be done, has to be done. I love you. I will eat on time. Can you set the first alarm for a few hours later."
Lajwanti got up and opened the large trunk, surveyed the mounds of paints, stacks of paper and other precious things, found the mechanical alarm clock and started winding it. She was feeling full of purpose and fear. Fear was good. She loved her mother. She went near mother who had dozed off.
"Ma can you tell me the markers just once again?"
"Good, better than yesterday. Your soup makes me feel much better"
Her voice was thin and weak. But her sentences were purposeful and unbroken. She had not gotten out of bed for a few days because of low and weakening fever, and right now her fever was running high. But it was just like her mother to say something like that.
"Mother I know there is something I can do. You mentioned those flowers that grow near the Gulmohar Patch. I can get them for you."
"I know you can beta. You are my strong little girl."
"No ma, I am..." She thought about how to finish the sentence. Concerned, she will brush it off. Scared, will make her mother worry. Worried, she was not allowed to be.
"Mother, I insist."
"But you are only nine, bhayya. I cannot send you off all alone to that faraway part of the jungle all by yourself. It has been raining for the last three days."
"Nine and a half" Lajwanti said to herself and then loudly, "mother I have been there with you..."
"Only once and that was seven months ago. The rain and storm must have changed all the paths. Trees may have falled due to lightening, it's too risky. No no, I will be well soon."
She had made soup for three more meals. She had made up her mind. Almost. It's a difficult choice between leaving her mother alone for one and a half days to get the flowers that will almost surely cure her and being here, feeding her and mopping her body to bring the fever down, which had not worked for the last few days. It did send her to sleep for a few hours.
"Mother," she held her hand, warmer than usual and softer than usual, in a dry sort of way, "I will be back before sunset tomorrow. I promise."
Mother looked at her. Her eyes watered a little more than they were due to fever. She brought her hand to her lips and kissed her a careful dry kiss. "Okay. What has to be done, has to be done. I love you. I will eat on time. Can you set the first alarm for a few hours later."
Lajwanti got up and opened the large trunk, surveyed the mounds of paints, stacks of paper and other precious things, found the mechanical alarm clock and started winding it. She was feeling full of purpose and fear. Fear was good. She loved her mother. She went near mother who had dozed off.
"Ma can you tell me the markers just once again?"
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