Megha

May her soul rest in peace…

The words reverberated in the granite floored living room. A small crowd of people, young and old, some dressed in traditionals, others in modern outfits had gathered there for Megha’s funeral. Only one common factor connected this odd assortment of people – the empty look in their eyes..

There was nothing dramatic about the day. It was not raining.

There were no grey clouds hanging above. But the dense clouds of despair and loss clung to the house..

His wife’s memories haunted Suraj.

The smell of her coffee…her childish laugh...the lullabies she sung for little Rohan...the aching in his heart was growing stronger with every thought.

It was x’mas eve. Suraj went out for a stroll into the silent and cold night. He walked until he reached his favorite place to hang out at night – Vrindavan Park. He took his usual spot on one of the benches and gazed at the inky black sky dotted with stars. Around him, about a dozen homeless children were in the intense cold, without even a piece of cloth to cover them.

Then he saw her..

She was walking towards the kids, pushing a scooty. A humongous parcel was popped up on the seat. She parked her scooty a few feet away from the kids and started opening the parcel. Inside, Suraj saw some blankets. Slowly, one by one, she covered the kids with blankets, careful they didn’t wake up. Once she was done, she smiled, took her scooty and walked away..

She hadn’t seen Suraj. But Suraj had just found out a big truth – angels existed..

******

Even though he hated admitting it, Mr.Mehta felt like he lost more than just a dedicated employee.

“I need you to report back in office right now” Mr.Mehta growled over the phone. His face was red with rage.

“But sir, I already told you, its sports day in Rohan’s pre-school. I need to be with him”, Megha’s voice was calm.

“Right! It’s just some stupid lemon & spoon race in a dumb pre-school. Your son isn’t running in the Olympic finals, for god’s sake. So just come here and complete your assignment right now.” Mr.Mehta was almost shouting. This time, megha’s reply was firm “Sir, for me, every single event in my son’s life is as big as an Olympics final. As for the assignment you’re talking about, I was awake the whole of last night completing it. If you would open your drawer, you can find the papers there. Also, if you had looked at your table, you would’ve seen my note. And sir, with all due respect, please do not question my dedication to work and my love for my family. Goodbye sir!” and she hung up.

Mr.Mehta couldn’t believe that a mere employee just hung up on him. No, not a mere employee. He had to admit that Megha was the most competent official in his firm. He couldn’t forget the awards she had won his firm. Looking at the table, he saw Megha’s note.

On a second thought, it actually was his fault. Megha had never let him down. He shouldn’t have been so harsh with her. Oh well, he thought, never mind, next morning Megha would be back next morning with her ever-so-cheerful smile. Of her many qualities Megha possessed, the one he admired the most was her ability to forgive and forget so easily.

He couldn’t imagine his office without Megha.

The way she insisted that everyone should have a flower vase on their desk…the way she convinced clients into making profitable deals with the firm…her dedication…her spirit…Mr.Mehta felt like his office was about to be hurled down a dark hole.

******

Meera felt something hot and wet on her cheeks. She realized they were tears. For once, she dint care about ruining her make-up. Megha, her best friend was gone. How could someone so full of life be dead? She couldn’t believe it.

It was a humid summer night. Meera couldn’t sleep. Her parents were always fighting each other and she didn’t know what to do. She felt like her life had suddenly transformed into hell. The only ray of hope she had was Megha. Megha always had solutions, let it be silly math equations or bigger problems of life. Meera dialed her best friend’s number.

“hey Meera, wassup at this late hour?”, Megha’s voice was cheerful.

“um..I’m I disturbing Megha? I need to talk..”. Meera hesitated.

“hello ma’m, since when did we start getting formal? Cut it out and tell me what’s wrong.”

Meera couldn’t hold it anymore. She started crying. Between sobs, she spilled out her mind infront of Megha. As usual, Megha had a solution.

“meera, first of all get a grip on yourself. Now think. Even if your parents have their differences, they have a very big common ground – you! Make them realize it and they’ll definitely get over their problems.”

Meera followed this advice and gradually everything turned out well and happy. When she thanked her best friend, Megha laughed. “Well, you made it happen and you’re thanking me? You proved that you’re the best daughter on earth. Isn’t that a reason to celebrate?”

Megha had this uncanny ability of solving problems and finally making you feel like you did it all by yourself. Meera sighed. She had lost an irreplaceable part of her life. The late night gossiping..exchanging beauty tips and recipes..holdin hands and crying in front of movie screen..laughing at silly jokes till their stomach ached..

Meera felt like a hole was opening in her heart..

******

Memories cluttered the living room air.

While an old couple remembered how Megha used to help them carry their shopping bags, a little boy remembered how she had fixed his kite.

A kitten meowed, searching for the hand that affectionately tickled its stomach and poured milk into it's bowl..

But like diamond in charcoal, Rohan’s happy face stood out. Ofcourse, he had reason to be happy. He had cleverly pulled down mom’s sari from the cupboard and had been playing with it ever since. And to his surprise, no one had scolded him! Boy, wasn’t that happy news?

Just then, he seemed to notice his mother’s absence. Slowly, realization dawned on his face. He grinned even wider.

“Mom hiding! Rohan find mom..yaya.. Rohan like hide and seek!!”

Clapping his hands, he ran around, searching for a mom he would never find.