THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE..

  • 14 Sep - 20 Sep, 2019
  • Ayesha Adil
  • Fiction

The telephone rang in the middle of the night and awakened us.

“It’s the landline,” I mumbled sleepily to Fawad hoping he would get it.

In my subconscious state I wondered who it could be at such a late hour. Fawad didn’t take long to get back and when I turned around to ask him I was surprised to see his demeanor. He seemed upset and pensive. I was instantly concerned.

“Who was it Fawad? What’s wrong?”

“It’s mom.” He just paused and let the thought linger.

“What happened, Fawad? Please tell me. I’m getting worried now.”

“That was Dad. She’s not well and they want me to go to Lahore. I’ll call the office in the morning and I’ll fly out. You can join me when I know more.”

“I would like to come with. It’s Friday and the weekend is coming up. Ibrahim won’t miss school too much. I’ll come too.”

And that was that. I couldn’t sleep much after that. I wasn’t very close to my mother-in-law, keeping that I really didn’t live with her but we did have a pretty good relationship I would say. She was always kind and caring to me and Ibrahim. She loved Ibrahim. Since he came so late in our lives he really did become a favourite. Regular video calls kept us connected and always in touch.

Fawad was already online, booking our plane tickets. I got up to make us breakfast and then I began to pack our bags.

I could tell he was very upset. Could I blame him? He loved his mother a lot and it made him very upset that he had to settle in Karachi. Job opportunities were just better here in his line of work.

The flight was due to leave at noon. Around 10 all three of us headed to the airport. Ibrahim was excited and full of questions. It was difficult to keep the atmosphere somber with his chattering.

Sad as Fawad may be, I felt that at least our son made him slightly better. At least he smiled.

******************

Meanwhile in Lahore…

“Why did you call him? Why did you disturb him?” Mama wasn’t happy that Dad called Fawad and asked him to come to Lahore.

“I wanted to disturb him. Hasn’t he disturbed you so many times? Isn’t it time you disturbed him too. Besides you are so unwell and you’ve been in and out of the hospital since a month. Don’t you want to meet him and doesn’t he deserve to know?”

“I love him the best I think sometimes. Or maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder. But I’m not dying. He didn’t have to be called in the middle of the night like that and made to rush out here like it’s an emergency. God knows what is going through his mind. He must be thinking that I am in critical condition and about to die or something. Why didn’t you ask me first?”

“Die or something? If you’re dying, I don’t think you’re doing anything else to be honest.”

Dad never knew when to let go. Mom just gave up.

Fawad told his family that we would get home on our own. We took a cab and reached by late afternoon. Mom and dad received us at the door.

No one can describe the joy on his face when he saw her standing there. He reached out to hug her tightly. I could see he had tears in his eyes.

He just stood there for a while holding her till she kind of pulled herself away and led him inside.

“I was so worried. Dad sounded so ambiguous. I didn’t know what to make of it.”

Dad ushered me and baby inside too with our meager stuff.

“Now see what you did?” Mom scowled at Dad.

“No I wanted to come. I wanted to see you!” Fawad was too relieved to see his mother well and to him nothing else mattered.

Once we were refreshed, he went into her room to spend more time with her.

We found out that she had a mild stroke and she was at the hospital a couple of times. But the doctors caught it early on and treated her. There was no permanent damage.

She was prescribed rest and relaxation and lots of family time of joy and happiness.

During our stay, Fawad spent all his time with her. In fact he kept her all to himself. They were thick as thieves and the rest of the family went about the day completely unaware of their whereabouts and plans. I felt that this was exactly what they both needed. A bubble of happiness to keep the rest of the world at bay. I felt a little left out and jealous and I missed my husband’s company but I also knew that this was what Fawad needed. I couldn’t interrupt this union simply because it was petty and childish. Ibrahim got the best of both worlds because everyone doted on him. Everyone gave him the time and attention that he demanded.

And Mom flourished with Fawad’s attention. She began to look better and younger in a matter of days. Dad also looked at ease now. I could tell that he loved Mamma a lot and seeing her unwell was starting to show on him too. But as she got better he became happier and more focused.

Motherhood I now realise is the most challenging roles that a woman plays. She begins to lose herself little by little into the whirlwind of her children’s future. She’s almost always tired physically and mentally not just by the humongous task of looking after her family but also by the emotional burden that she carries by constantly worrying about them and planning and then executing. Her job is never ever done.

And then as her children grow up and leave the nest she is left with her thoughts, her fears and her regrets and sometimes her joys in seeing them happy in their lives. But she’s not always included to celebrate those joys and then comes the disappointment, the letdown. But then how does one transcend into this new found existence?

She can keep watching from the sidelines and continue to feel left out or she can reach out in different ways, by continuing supporting their dreams and by loving them.

Her love and care is now transformed from a physical, material position to a more emotional level. Her life may be very lonesome and at times empty but then again this is the time for her to find pleasure in activities that she never got a chance to do earlier. But Mama seemed content with what she had at the moment. And who wouldn’t. Fawad’s doting over her and giving her all the time she needed to heal was blissful. The roles seemed to have reversed. He was pampering her like a mother pampers a child. He was treating her like the queen that she was, attending to her whims and needs and showing her love and affection.

Our stay was almost over and Fawad came into the room to make an announcement.

“Mama and Dad are coming to stay with us in Karachi . Just wanted to give you a heads up.”

With that he stepped out.

I needed to sit down to digest this news. And I did just that.

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