Page 75 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

9 OF THE PASSING OF GRANDPARENTS

I hadn’t visited my grandparents for years. The last time I visited them was two years back with my wife and
daughter. Grandpa was bedridden and Grandma worked hard. As there was no phone at home, I couldn’t contact
them.
One evening, the telephone operator came to my place and said, “There’s a phone call for you from home, sir. I
think you should call back right away. I suppose it’s urgent.”
My heart throbbed. “Oh, really?”
I rushed to the telephone booth with him and dialed the number he had noted. Hands shivering, I said, “Hello?”
“Who’s speaking?” asked someone.
“Dorji Wangdi,” I replied. “And you are?”
“I am Phuntsho. Sorry, I just wanted to… um…”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Grandma passed away today.”
My jaw dropped. “What? You said she was fine the other day. How?”
“She passed away. You should come home.”
“I am coming.”
As I walked back home, I tried to gain composure. “Did he say Grandma expired? Did he say that?”
Tears replenished my eyes, remembering the blissful time I had with her.
When I refused to go to school, she carried me on her back to school with my tiny legs in her waistcoat pocket.
Grandma took up the family’s responsibilities after Grandpa was bedridden.
“What happened, Apa?” said Choki. “You look grief-stricken.”
“Grandma passed away today,” I said, leaning against the door.
“What?” she blurted. “When?”
“Cousin Phuntsho told me,” I said. “She was fine last week.”
“Now what?”
“I should go home. They’re waiting for me.”
“But money?”
“I don’t know. I think I should borrow from my friends.”
“Who would lend us money at such a time?” She tapped her fingers on the windowsill. “But try once.”
I went around looking for friends. My college, Mr. Sonam was playing cards behind his house.
“Sonam, I need your help, please,” I said.
He looked up at me. “What can I do for you?”
“I need some cash, please. I would return to you later.”
“Sorry, I paid rent.”
I asked Ugyen and senior teachers, but nobody lent me any money. So, I returned home. “What should I do,
Ama? Nobody would lend me.”
“Why don’t you apply for a loan?”
“Oh, yes, loan!” I said, sighing a deep relief. “How come you never told me before?”
“But how will you go home? There’s a week-long Assam strike.”
“It’s urgent. I must go. Any idea, Ama?”
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