Monday, May 18, 2009

The Cross She Bears


" Your mother has asked for a pair of gold earrings, and, necklace, for your brother's wedding. She says, the ladies in the neighbourhood have been urging her, to flex the mother-in-law muscle, and, demand jewellery from her daughters-in-law, so that, she will not look unadorned at her own son's wedding"

" Hmm..."

" She does have a point, you know. It reflects badly on the family, when, the mother of the groom wears no gold at all, at her son's wedding. All the more so, when her daughters-in-law are dripping gold"

" The gold prices have sky-rocketed, and, it would be foolish to buy now. Once it falls a little, we can think of getting her something"

" But, what about the wedding? If, this has become a topic of discussion in the village, I, don't want, to bear the brunt of every-one's questions at the wedding. Maybe, I should lend her one of my sets."

" No, no. That will only lead to more gossip, and, scandal, especially since we have never gifted my mother anything so far."

" So, then, let us give her one of my old sets and you can buy me a new one later. After all,
she is your mother, and, she did sell her jewellery to educate you and your brothers. You do have a responsibility towards her, you know?"

" Well, I have two other brothers also. And, they are supposed to be as responsible as I am. So, what is the big deal?"

" The big deal, is that, SHE has asked me, and, if we do not give her anything, then I will be portrayed as the mean daughter-in-law in the village. Why should my image take a beating? After all, she is, YOUR, mother, not mine. It is your responsibility, not mine. She should not even be asking me in the first place"

" I do not have money to waste right now, especially when we are trying to survive this God awful recession. As it is, our expenses are soaring with your family living with us in the city. This is the problem with my mother. She does not understand how difficult life is or even, what a recession is!!! "

" Well, we have to do something"


" Hmmmm..Maybe, if she raises the topic again, you can give her one of your lightest chains and earrings too. You know, one of those which you wear to work. I will get you a much better one in a few months. But, don't say a word until she, or, one of the elder aunts, raises the topic"

Silent tears of pain coursed down her wizened cheeks, as she huddled into her little nook, shielded by darkness - her lone, trusted ally

Not even in her wildest dreams had she imagined this scenario.

To think, she, had, once, been the richest bride in five villages.
And, the most beautiful too.

Today, she, had to be, the poorest mother in five villages.
And, the most aged too.

Sometimes, motherhood, can be, the toughest cross, a woman has to bear.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Rekz, that was really sad. How mean can children be?
Btw, that was really well-written.

Gingerbread & Me said...

Yes Pal, sometimes children can be very very insensitive...I don't think they even realise just how much they hurt their parents by such words and actions and even more so, by their need to seperate themselves completely.

Tall Guy said...

Man, life can be so cruel!!

Just goes on to show how one forgets who raised them up and took care of them & protected when they were young.

Guess, they forget one day they will be parents and that their children can too do the same what they did to their parents.

Gingerbread & Me said...

So true Struggler, Life can be cruel.
This piece made my heart ache!!!

Ganges said...

This is so sad, so true and so well written...Leave alone gifts, often children are so stingy with love and time as well. But I am a firm believer in the Circle of Life concept, and feel that everything will come around a full circle in one's lifetime....when children will realize how badly they treated their parents when their kids start treating them similarly

shail said...

Well-written.

Gold! What a lot of fuss people make over a silly metal!