Story- Aarav's Mother

“Why does the sun comes up in the morning and leaves at night?”

“Because God made it that way.”

“Why did God made it that way?”

“Because God wanted it that way”

“But….”

After all the questions and answers, finally, Aarav’s eyes started to feel heavy and soon, he was lost in the world of dreams. A child’s dream is filled with wonders. Many things are there that a child doesn’t understand, but is still able to live a happy life in a concealed way. The word ‘nightmare’ is unknown to little Aarav. He doesn’t even know a word like this exists. His mother hasn’t taught it to him yet. Maybe she is planning to teach that to Aarav, or maybe she just forgot to teach it to him. There could be no other reason why Aarav’s mother hasn’t taught this word to him, yet, right? Why would her mother keep it away from him?

Aarav’s eyes opened in the sunlight. He winced as the sharp rays irritated him. Slowly, his sense of hearing started functioning too. He heard some peculiar words he has never heard before, coming out of his father’s mouth, and some whimpering sound, coming out of his mother’s mouth. He rubbed his eyes and got out of the messed up bed placed in a perfect home. Aarav’s assumption was that maybe his parents were playing a game. A game, indeed. What else life can be?

Too confused, he decided to go and see for himself, but before he could, his mother entered his room. Puffy eyes, blood coming from the right side of the lip, tangled up hair, and another thing the child couldn’t see, which was a broken soul.

“You’ll be the husband and I’ll be the wife”

“Okay.”

“Let’s play!”

“Okay!”

The kids’ play seemed very amusing to Aarav’s mother. She smiled lightly with her bruised lip. Her son was the only source that offered her pure joy. Everything about him made her vulnerable. Taking a deep breath, she went back to her regular routine of working, as every other day. Tired and restless from the daily pattern. After a few minutes, a commotion started in the children’s game, which captured the attention of the mother.

Aarav’s friend, Jen had tears in her eyes, when his mother went outside. She asked the kids what happened. Consequently, Jen told her that Aarav had hit her and made her cry. Aarav’s mother asked Aarav why he had hit her and scolded him for doing so. Aarav simply explained that it was the part of the game, he didn’t intentionally do it, and said,

“It is my right to hit her as I am the husband and she is the wife.”

A sentence Aarav and his mother have heard from his father and her husband, respectively.

Jen’s crying was soon replaced by Aarav’s.

 After 24 long years

“Why does the sun comes up in the morning and leaves at night?”

“Because God made it that way”

“Why did God made it that way?”

“Because God wanted it that way.”

Sara’s questions were just like her father’s, curious and unstoppable. But the answers remained the same. Even after knowing everything and learning everything and analyzing everything, Aarav’s answers remained the same as her mother’s. Now, he understood why his mother didn’t teach him the word ‘nightmare’, as he heard his little daughter’s rhythmic breathing, in the dark.

                                                                                                                                             -Anjali