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The four of them were sitting after dinner.  Regi had insisted that ASR and Khushi stay with them, though ASR had booked a decent hotel room.  Khushi had willingly accepted.  They were a bit relaxed with mother’s attitude towards the treatment.  The night duty attendant was with mother. The Chemo cycles had to be re initiated as the doctors found the cancer spreading to the other parts.  The painful chemicals injecting into the body was unbearable.  She wanted to die peacefully and these people were not giving up their hope….! ASR looked grim, clutching his coffee mug and staring into a distant darkness.  Regi kept looking at him with some hope.  ASR had refused to take Regi with him when he had talked to the Doctors but came out after a while and told Regi, that everything was under control and she would be fine soon…! 

The attendant came out… Regi got up at once.  “She is calling you…!” The nurse said and Regi dashed inside.  

*********  ******  ******

“I will take care…!” she said in a small voice picking up junior Khushi and holding Robert’s hand.  The horrified children were glued to her when people started visiting and praying.  Khushi kept her head down throughout, letting Arnav take over.  Someone had gone and got Robert home.  The body was to be kept in the Church for the Mass and then for burial…! They had decided not to take the children along…! 

Mother had called them inside.  Regi dashed inside to find her in despair….! She held his hand and said…

“Thank you for bringing me home…” Regi broke into tears.  ASR dashed forward supporting him.  

“Aru…! Promise me…!” she said in a bear whisper.  “Yes…!” he said holding her hand with hurting throat.  He couldn’t afford to break down now…! He could see her end.  

“Call the priest…” he pulled up Regi and dragged him out of the room.

“What? No!... You… you said… everything will be fine…!” Regi looked at ASR in disbelief.  ASR avoided his gaze…

“Call the priest, Annie…!” he ordered her.  Khushi kept gaping in disbelief.

“Priest? Why?” she had thousand question popping up in her mind.  But that was not the time to ask anything.  Annie dialed the Church number, trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks…! 

“Let us be with her…!” ASR dragged Regi again stopping Annie and Khushi from entering the room….! Nothing they could do…. Her soul had departed for heavenly abode….! 

The neighbors, well wishers, relatives started gathering to offer their prayers for the departed soul….! Candles were lit…! Khushi assumed the duty to take care of the baby and when Robert came in… She took control of the children.  ASR was busy phoning people taking help of Annie.  Regi was all lost, not knowing what to do and how to react to the condolences of people pouring in….! They took the corpse to the Holy Family Syrian Catholic Church for the funeral service…! Khushi with the children stayed at home…! 

The hymn was sung with the Church music as people offered their prayers for the departed soul.  The funeral house people took over and the corpse was taken to the cemetery.  Coffin was placed and another funeral service was conducted.  Finally the coffin was closed and the body was committed to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust in sure and certain hope of the resurrection in the last day…! 

The neighbors took care of the food when they returned from the cemetery…! Khushi took the children inside, making sure that they had food…!

“Where did they take her?” Robert, a seven year old boy, horrified to see people in black and take his granny in a coffin, couldn’t even close his eyes.  Khushi kept stroking his head on her laps keeping her other hand on Junior Khushi chest.  She had slept peacefully with full belly.  But Robert was upset, unable to understand death…! He only knew, something bad had happened and his parents were crying when his granny was taken away…!

“Where is granny?” he kept asking… And finally Khushi decided to tell him…!

“Where did they take her…? She is unwell… why are they troubling her?” Robert tried to get up, anguished.

“Shuuu… Stop…! You know what happened yesterday night?” she asked and Robert’s eyes widened with the mystery…!

“We were all worried about her health… The Doctors were also worried… When we were sitting outside, God visited her…!” Khushi said in a hushed voice.  Robert sat up and listened with rapt attention.

“God?” he asked and Khushi nodded.  “I mean we heard him…he was in granny’s room…!” she said and Robert nodded.

“You are suffering…. The pain is unbearable…” God said patting Granny’s head.  She nodded…! Then god turned to your Dad and said…

“I will take her with me…. and when she is cured, I will bring her back… I am taking her to my hospital… There she will be cured…” God said pointing at heaven.

“Then?” Robert asked curiously.

“Then? Then…. Your Dad said ok. But on one condition…!” she said making Robert place his head on her laps.

“What condition?” he asked looking up…!

“Only on one condition, that you will send her back as soon as she gets well….! Robert and Khushi will be waiting for her….” She said and Robert smiled….!

“Yeah… we are waiting for our granny… She will be alright and will come back soon…” he said closing his sleep laden eyes.  Khushi took a sigh and looked up to find Annie, Regi and ASR looking at her unblinkingly.

“Thank you…!” Regi was overwhelmed.  Khushi wiped her eyes.  “Thank you for giving them hope…!” he said holding Khushi’s hand and Annie hugged her tightly.  ASR moved out of the room hiding his moist eyes…! 

“Who gives you strength, Khushi?” Regi asked and Khushi said… “Strength? I don’t know…!” she said coming out of children’s room.

“Be with the children tonight…” Annie pleaded and Khushi nodded.  She moved out to find Arnav ji gazing into the distance, clenching his fists at the back, anguished. 

“Arnav ji…” she placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned….! 

>>>>>>>>>>  >>>

The plane took off and Khushi glanced at her husband….! They were heading back to Kolkata after the Seventh Day Mass.  Arnav had cancelled everything to be with his friend….! Khushi again had seen a different facet of his personality…! A soft and strong person in him…! 

“She was a strong Lady.. Took care of Regi after his father’s death when he was only kid….” He said talking to himself and Khushi nodded….! 

“I wish we die together…” he said and Khushi actually smiled.  “That’s why I call him a kid…” she remembered her conversation with Mother.  

“Everyone may not be that lucky…Someone will go ahead, someone will stay back…” she said gravely and suddenly smiling a bit turned to Arnav.  

“You know what? I am going to go there first… to see if the arrangements are ok…!” she said and Arnav turned to her angrily.  

“What will you do, if the arrangements are not of my standard?” he asked her.

“Ummm….! I will beg, borrow, buy, steal… and secure a place for you in heaven just by my side….” She said smiling and he turned his face avoiding her gaze.

“What if I go first….?” He asked her, catching her off guard.  She looked into his eyes intently…

“Still I will have to beg, borrow, buy or steal…. Two places in the heaven for us….” She said winking at him.

“Two places?” he asked.

“Yeah.. two places… because I know you would be waiting for me at the gates and will not enter without me…!” she said grinning and he pulled her closer resting his head on her shoulder.  She was right.  He would never go anywhere without her…!He would wait for her as he used to, outside the temple of her Devi Mayya...!