Departed

 

 

The whole world has been engulfed in this pandemic. At first, I thought it was of one those science fictions frim a Hollywood flick, but to my utter dismay I became a part of it. My life completely changed; there was a one hundred and eighty degrees turn. This shouldn’t have happened with me, why me, not me…This is all I have in my mind since then.

‘Once the weather changes, the virus will be a thing of the past.” Said many knowledgeable men. I would constantly pray for a warm weather though I detested summers. But now I wanted them badly. However, all this turned to be a hoax.  No one knew that this virus would capture and imprison us in our own houses. The days seemed long and nights were dreadful.

Slowly and steadily, we started getting used to this life. Every month, when the government made an announcement, our hearts would pound. The cacophonic noise of the ambulance siren perturbed me. I stopped watching television as it only troubled me further; at the same time, a good way to detox from the idiot box. To keep my mind off from the heart-breaking news; I started experimenting with cooking. This indeed was a good a way to break free from the wretched news we used to hear every day. Our only concern were our old parents, who were living thousands of miles away from us. We couldn’t go to meet them as they were at the most vulnerable state; nonetheless, we were at ease as the number of cases in Kolkata were fewer as compared to Mumbai.  

However, this pandemic did help us as a family to come together and enjoy ourselves. Every one of us were working from home, we got more time to spend with each other. The air was pure now, every morning we woke to the melodious songs of birds. We indulged in some delectable food; weekends were dedicated for quizzing. This all seemed so surreal.

Today, the sunlight was in its different hues, it was spread across the sky creating a pattern, as though signaling a message. My daughter was busy taking pictures from my phone of the hypnotic sun while I was occupied with the household chores. Suddenly, there was a loud ring, I grabbed my mobile phone from her and answered, ‘Hello.” My body turned ice cold and with trembling lips I called out. “We have to leave for Kolkata right now.” The demon had finally knocked our door…

Nothing was left, the virus devoured both our parents. The predator took both

of them away within ten days; no time to mourn, no time to cry. There are many unanswered questions left…How, why…