Such is life ...

We returned from our 5 day trip to the east coast on Wednesday early morning. After waking up I called home. Nobody picked up the phone. I called dad on his cell. He said they were at an uncle's place, they came because anyways the internet was down and hence they could not log on to the yahoo chat which they do almost every single day. He asked me how our trip was, how the kids and us were doing and asked me to take care. He did sound a bit morose but I didn't suspect anything.

The next morning I logged on myself and waited. They didn't log on. The internet must still be down I thought and carried on with the chores. I saw my dad's cell number on the caller id as I picked up the phone. He didn't have to call me again to ask me just after a day how we were doing, how much he worries, I thought to myself. It was my mom. She asked us about the trip, about the kids having rested enough, about Ashwini being well rested before joining back work. I asked her about the internet being down still. Papa will tell is all she said. Some technical stuff, I thought. I spoke to dad whom I asked the same thing. There was nothing else to say, we had just spoken yesterday.

Mom is in the hospital, he said, with a light forced laugh.
What happened?
She slipped at home and fractured her arm and her leg.
When?
Yesterday morning.
Yesterday morning? When did I talk to you?
Last night but you had just returned tired from your trip. And she (mom) had just been operated upon then and still under the effect of the anesthesia and in no position to talk which would have worried you no end.

Oh my , why are my parents like that, I thought to myself for the umpteenth time. They are in pain, sharp pain and they still think of me not getting worried. I tried hard to swallow that lump forming in my throat. I just couldn't break down and increase their worries manifold. All they would think about then is how bad I felt and my mom would almost hold herself guilty for having done something to make me cry! No, that HAD to wait!

Operated?? How seriously did she hurt herself?
She fractured her left arm and her left leg. At her age (she is 62 now), when the bones are anyways getting weak, its better to operate rather than wait with the cast for 6 weeks and find out that the recovery hasn't been too good and then go ahead with the operation. They trusted the doctor and went ahead with it.

How did she fall?
We had called some pest control guys and they had almost finished their job. We had gotten ready to leave for a couple of hours and leave the house closed for the proper effect of the pest spray. Mom went into the back room to change her footwear without realizing that there was liquid spilled on the floor. She slipped in the narrow space between the bed and the door. So while they had planned to go out together to a mall, they ended up in an ambulance to the hospital.

Don't worry, he said again. He had been repeating it in the entire conversation.

I asked to speak to mom again gently chided her for not telling me anything earlier. She was in pain yesterday, she said but was feeling much better today.

I asked her to take care and again told me not to worry.

Worrying won't help, at all, I know! I just feel sad being so far away, thinking we could have helped had we been closer. As I count with eagerness the few months that are left for us to go back and relocate, close to our families, these are situations I dread. Things happen, I know. Just let me be close to my family when they do is what I ask of God. Because that's the very reason we don't want to be here. Bith then Destiny is HUGE. This is not the first time I have bowed to her. Life doesn't unfold according to our plans is the truth, sometimes sweet, at others bitter.

Anyways I am thankful to God for the fact that my parents are fortunate to have a wonderful family and friends around to help. They had been calling and asking for ways they could help - food, staying in the hospital, being there for just moral support. I am so so lucky for not having to worry on that front. But a child is after all a child. I had spoken to them last night. In the morning my mother in law called me and told me about the progress and so I thought I'll call tomorrow morning. But my parents just felt like talking to me and they called themselves at quite an early hour for them.

The morning tea wakes me up early here, laughed my mom.

She is a brave woman with amazing portions of patience and will power. She is always on her feet with never a dull moment. She is the sort of person who'll never crib about any situation but find ways of keeping herself occupied and making the most of it. I do wish her a very very speedy recovery. She needs this rest I know. Only that this was way too harsh to get just that.

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