“Gayatri ,have you taken your hypertension medicine?please don’t ignore your health..you are very precious to me..what will I do without you?”he almost pleaded while giving her medicines …
He slowly walked out of her room..n sat in the corridor…he told his son..”your mother is suffering from amnesia..she has reached a stage where she has stared forgetting everything …she calls me Madhav but it’s alright ..it’s just that I can’t see her in this state ..” he looked pensive ..

His son got up n went ahead to see his mother..
“Ma what is papa saying ??hypertension ?when did this happen?whats wrong with papa,he is talking strange things “he sounded concerned 
“Come sit here son…just do as I say..your father -Madhav has been suffering from amnesia,he doesn’t even remember his name n even calls me Gayatri ..he thinks I have hypertension ..it’s scary but I allow him to think that I am Gayatri n have hypertension…i let him think that I have started forgetting things ,it’s comforting for him because he won’t b able to handle the fact that it’s not me-it’s him …I wonder what will I do without him ??”she said softly while two stubborn tears rolled down her cheeks …
Her son held her hand tight n kissed her frail fingers ….this woman taught him the whole new meaning of selfless love …..:
“Gayatri…….”she heard him shout her the name that never belonged to her..
“Haaaan coming “

-kathachitram by Shailja

Feature Image Credit: Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay