Ma, how can you do this to Hablu? Cried Sangita’s little 12-year-old boy.
How can you love someone else after you loved Hablu?
Life was a battle, Sangita’s husband, Ashish, had passed away, and she was left all alone with a mountain of bills, paperwork and a small baby boy. She had to learn everything on her own. Run from government office to office, go to her son’s PTM’s while also juggling office work and keep the home fires burning. After all the struggle, life seemed to get a little normal, and she was getting used to the loneliness. But life had other plans for her.
It all began when her colleague, a man, offered her a ride home.
The rides home with this colleague became more frequent, and then the rides home became evenings of tea and slowly became dinners and transformed into outings.
Everything was going great until the realization hit her that she had to explain to her 12-year-old boy that she was in love.
How was she going to tell him?
Mum: Cheenu, come here; Mumma wants to talk to you.
he comes and sits on her lap and looks at her expectantly
waiting.
Mum: Cheenu, Don’t you want a new daddy?
He will buy new toys, a dog and play with you?
He looks at her, a little perplexed at the stupidity of her question.
Cheenu: I don’t want a new daddy. I don’t want any toys, Mumma,
I have you, and that’s enough.
Touched by his innocence, she said
Mum: Ok, but … a new daddy would take care of Mumma’s needs.
Cheenu: I’m here. I’ll take care of you, Mumma.
Mum: I know you are there, and you look after Mumma very well, but beta, Mumma needs someone her age, na.
Cheenu: You can talk to Hablu’s ghost Maa whenever you are sad. He will come from heaven, just like he sent me that shirt on my birthday.
Sangita to herself: How do I tell him that I bought him that shirt and lied about it coming from heaven.
after some thought, she said
Mum: Cheenu, Mumma loves… Hablu, but I love UncleX[Mums colleague] now. Mumma needs someone like Hablu …
Angry tears started flowing from his eyes. He was so confused and shocked that Mumma could even conceive the feelings of love for a man other than his father. Tears still flowing from his eyes, he said:
Cheenu: how can you do this to Hablu?
How can you love someone else after you loved Hablu?
I’m taking care of you then what else do you need?
Realizing his pain and confusion,
She just smiled, wiping her baby boy’s tears and said
Mum:
“You are right. My baby Mumma doesn’t need anything other than her sweet beta.”
She continued: I was joking, my bacha. How can mummy fall in love again? You fell for it, my silly monkey.
After hearing, Mumma. He smiled, convinced that all this was a bad joke and went to play with his friend.
Sangita to herself: He doesn’t understand, but I can’t blame him
after all, he’s just a child.
Conclusion:
Little did he understand that how selfish he was to the person who sacrificed everything for him. But how would he know about the various emotional and physical desires she craved that not even her little silly monkey couldn’t fulfil.
