Rush! {A story.Read how a dream life turned into a catastrophe for Raghu (a boy)}

“Mom,please don’t worry I am capable of taking my own care..” Raghu consoled his mom as She hugged him as tightly as she could and they both bid adieu to each other as the flight boarding announcement was made.

“Finally, I am going to live my dream of working abroad!!” Raghu felt out of the world thinking so..But,somewhere his mom being alone at home bothered him as his father was no more and this was the first time he was leaving his mom all alone for such a great span of time.. 11 months!.

After a long flight of 8 hours and 40 minutes he finally reached London!.Collected his luggage got over with all the formalities and was dropped home by the cab service offered by his office who sent him there for a new project. “Wow! what a splendid feel..what a beautiful city..Woah! London.. I’m here” he shouted at the top of his voice from his balcony and something suddenly striked him “Ohh!Shit! It has been 3 hours since my flight landed and I haven’t informed mom about it!” He cursed himself anxiously.

Rushing to grab his phone As the first bell rang it didn’t even took 5 secs and his mom picked up the call “Hello,Raghu where have you been?? , Have you reached safely?? , What about dinner??..hello..Raghu speak up!” she sounded horridly worried. “shh..shh.. keep calm maa… I have reached safely and I am doing perfectly fine.. just relax” He calmed her down. After speaking for a while they disconnected the call and Raghu went for sleep.

Next morning, all set for his first day at his dream workplace he reached his office and got a chance to meet many people whom till today he has just admired through social networking sites or has read about them in different business magazines..As the days passed by, he got more and more busy in his work..His days used to be full of meetings with clients and meals with delegates at sky-scraped restaurants, lined up deadlines, and bundles of files surrounding him..in short his life became a rush event.

He got so entangled with his busy schedule that he could hardly call his mom each day. Due to a big difference in their location she wasn’t able to match up to his busy schedule and time gap. While going to sleep whenever she used to call him it happens to be his working hour and he was forced to neglect the call due to exigencies.

2 months passed by, since they had a proper chat.All this did bothered Raghu too but effect was wee on the other hand his mom suffered. Loneliness caught her in its trap and she slowly went into depression.

Whenever she used to call Raghu or whenever Raghu called her they just shared some words of “concern” in rush and then disconnected. All this made her bed-ridden, She never told Raghu about her sickness because she didn’t wanted to bother him.

Doctor diagnosed her with acute depression and advised her to call Raghu back home,but she refused!.

Two months later…

Raghu received a call from an unknown number at around 2.30 AM:

“Hello,Raghu…Raghu…can you hear me” a known voice spoke in a sobbing tone. Raghu felt the tone and said “Hello..who is this..”..”It’s your aunt Kiran..Raghu.. your mom…she…” she stammered “Say..aunt..where is mom…where is she..what happened to her..??” he asked furiously.. “Raghu.. she suffered her third cardiac arrest..and is no more with us” Kiran replied and Raghu got numb.. he couldn’t hear anything..he couldn’t feel his own self his world got shattered in a phone call…!!

He sobbed endlessly,took the first flight he could get and came back home the next noon.. There lay his mother whose skin turned pale her face didn’t had that old glow instead there were dark areas around her eyes..Her body looked more frail and that ever welcoming face was not welcoming him anymore…He sat beside her and hugged her as tightly as he could but couldn’t feel the same warmth again..her body was cold as ice..He cried so loudly as he wanted his voice to reach the heavens and his pain would force god to return him his home..his life..his world..! But this was real life where the dead never comes back..! With crying heart and heavy eyes he completed the last rituals and saw his mom turning into ashes..!

When he came back he found a diary which had only one page inked with tears of his mom-

Time has always been in a rush

It is the loneliness that had my life crush

For your dreams,I will keep my screams trapped in a hush

For ever I wished to keep you close in a tight hug

But will you ever realize it was your mom whom you shrug..??

You may or you may not but it’s not you whom i’ll ever blame

Because in today’s rushing life,what only matters is the “name and fame”

My only wish is to see you approaching me like before you used to run

But I’ll adjust with the satisfaction of my last rites being done by my son

His dream job turned into the biggest catastrophe of his life..!No matter what he does his loss can never get replenished and his mom will never call him again,She will never say those concerning words again..! She has gone..FOREVER..

“The rush of my life rewarded me with my dreams..

but took away my mom..” His heart screams.!

-SHREYA RASTOGI