My bond with daughter

                           My bond with daughter

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“My days are counted. I won’t be able to leave this hospital bed at all. Perhaps, I may end up h e re…here.Aruna’s horrid thoughts stopped abruptly. She saw her mother, Shobha,

struggling hard to hide tears from her daughter. Aruna knows well that Shobha brought up her with great care and showered love and blessings on her abundantly.

              Shobha’s thoughts, now, went back to twenty four years back.Aruna’s parents, Nirmala and Madan came to the city, after their marriage, from Uttar Pradesh. They have got four children, two sons and two daughters. Aruna is the youngest. They are staying two buildings away from my house. I am a south Indian, have two sons and no daughters.

One day, I met Nirmala with a three months old daughter, Aruna. Our intimacy grew soon and I used to bring Aruna home daily and leave her with parents in the evening.

                  Later on, Aruna started staying in my house. She stays in her parents’ house for one day, once in a month. My sons have great affection for her. My husband treated her as his favourite pet. We had a nice flourishing time when all the three children were small. 

                     When Aruna completed four years, I got her admitted in kindergarten. Then,

I had played the role of her teacher also at home. Every day, I used to drop her in the school and bring her back home. I had to dress her up and tie her hair neatly in style. She learnt our language and talks to us in Malayalam fluently. I noticed her liking for dance and she joined in a dancing class. She has learnt classic dance and does Bharatnatyam well.

                        Immediately after her Aarangethram programme, she wanted to meet me. But I was in the crowd and she couldn’t trace me. Hence she started weeping bitterly. When others enquired her she told them that she wanted to meet me as soon as possible. They brought her to me and she kissed me on my cheeks, many times ardently in the midst of the crowd. How can I ever forget that, my dear girl?

                          She was a bright student, you know. Still I put her in a coaching class and she got ninety percent marks in the tenth exam. After 12th, she took up B. Sc.  Computer science in a college, not very far from home. But she had to travel to and fro by bus. I used to get worried whenever she came home a bit late. One day, she fell down from the bus while alighting. She was not able to move her right foot forward. She sat on the roadside. She didn’t want me to know about it as she is well aware of my emotional nature. After half an hour or so, her friend, Anisha informed me about the accident. I got in an autorikshaw and rushed towards her. Tears from my eyes fell on her face. She consoled me saying that nothing bad had happened to her. I took her to the hospital, as fast as I could. When doctor asked me I couldn’t say anything. I became pale and got fainted. When I regained consciousness, I saw her smiling at me and she patted on my back. The doctor told me that he was more worried about the mother than the daughter. She got discharged after a week without major complaints.   

                             She graduated in flying colours and joined MCA.  My husband expired during that time due to kidney failure. Aruna covered her face on my sons’ shoulders and cried very bitterly. She didn’t eat anything for three days. I struggled hard to bring her back to normal. After MCA, she got a good job in an IT firm.

                                 One day when she came home, Ashok, her collegue, a Malayalee was with her.Anish, my younger son was at home. Ashok and Anish became good friends. Bipin, my elder son, is in London with his wife and daughter. After one year, Ashok asked Aruna’s hand for marriage. I informed Nirmala and Madan about it and they gave us green signal to proceed.

                                     Aruna and Ashok celebrated their first wedding anniversary just two months ago. Three days passed since Aruna is hospitalized. She has terrible pain in the abdomen. Doctor says that her kidneys are slightly damaged and she may require a kidney transplant soon. She is young and very sensitive. She can’t bear this much pain. I can not look at her worried face. Oh! God! Save her. God will hear my prayers. I am sure.Shobha couldn’t stretch her thoughts further as the doctor called her to the consultant room. 

                                         Before doctor could say anything, Shobha asked him whether her kidney can be removed for Aruna’s kidney transplant. Shobha had undergone thorough examination. When doctor informed that Shobha’s kidney is matching, her joy knew no bounds. But she didn’t tell Aruna about it, fearing her reaction.

                                         Today is Sunday, a holiday for most of the people, Shobha recalled. But Aruna is lying on the operation table. She is administered anesthesia. We are impatiently waiting outside. Few hours passed. Then the doctor came out, congratulated Ashok and told him about Aruna’s successful kidney transplant operation. When Aruna recovered after four days, the doctor told her that it is Shobha who gave her a new life.Aruna started shedding tears. “Though we are not bound by umbilical cord, Aruna is my beloved daughter after all,”Shobha whispered to herself.

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