A Date with a Woman
After almost 21 long years of wedlock, my wife asked me to take another woman out for a date. A dinner and a movie. Can you believe this? Yes, it is true, let me tell you the whole story. She said I love you but I know this other woman also loves you and that too more than I do and would love to spend some time with you for you are all she has.
Its quite amazing, isn't it? Can you ever expect your wife to say like that? Well, of course you can for the other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was none other than my old mother, who has been a widow for the past 30 years. Due the requirements of my work and my two children, I could manage to pay her a visit only once in a blue moon. She lives in the village, at our ancestral home which is about 30 kilometers away from my place. I work in the town and live with my wife and two children.
That evening I gave her a call to ask her to go out for dinner and a movie. 'What's wrong with you son, is everything okay with you,' she astonishingly asked? My mother is the kind of person who would suspect that an unexpected call late in the night or a surprise invitation is not a very good sign. She has grown a bit superstitious or she has grown old probably.
'Well, I don't have much of anything else to do this weekend and I am thinking that it would be pleasurable to be with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us, that's it.' She kept thinking about it for a while, and then said, 'I would like that a great deal.'
That weekend after office, as I drove over to the village to pick her up I was a little bit stressed. When finally I made it at our ancestral house, I observed that mother, too, appeared to be a bit stressed about our unusual date. It was a pretty cold winter evening, she waited at the door with her shawl wrapped over her body. My wife had presented it to her long time ago. She looked pretty inspite of her white hair and the lines on her face. She was wearing the same tusser saree that she had worn when she last celebrated her wedding anniversary with my father 30 years ago.
She had a smiling face that was as brilliant as an angel's. No doubt, she was very happy to go out with me. 'I told the village women that I was going to go out with my boy, and they were wonder-struck, 'she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't even wait to hear about our date'. First we went to Iscon temple and then to a small eating house that, though not exquisite, was of course a very good and comfortable place. My mother was holding my arm tightly as if it wasn't me but my father. I knew how much she missed my father.
After we settled down at the eating house, I went through the menu. Big bold letters. Half way through the list of items, I just looked up and saw mother sitting there and gazing at me. There was a covetous grin on her face.
'Its the same place however, things have changed now. It was I who used to read the menu and place the order when you were small but nevermind, I love this place,' she said. 'Then it's time that you unstrain yourself and allow me return the favor,' I responded. 'I now understand my responsibilities ma,' I said, 'but usually I don’t get time. '
While having the dinner, we had a consensual conversation - nothing unique or special about it, just talking about the recent happenings of each other's life. We took so much time talking to each other that we dropped the idea of going to the movie as we were already too late for it.
As we made it back to our ancestral house at the village later that night, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let your mother invite you this time.' I agreed happily.
It was almost 2 am when I reached home after dropping mother at her place. My wife opened the door and asked, 'how was your dinner date with the old lady?' 'It was an absolute delight. Much more so than I could have conceived of and tell you what we are all set for another date and she is the host this time,' I answered.
Again I got busy with my life, a few days passed, my mother passed away of a massive heart stroke. I was in the town and she was at her place, our very own ancestral house in the village, It came about so all of a sudden that I did not have any time to do anything for my poor lady. A couple of days later, I received an envelope with a copy of an eating house receipt. It was the very same eating house where mother and I had gone for date and had our dinner that evening.
There was a note attached to it which said, 'I am paying this bill way in advance as I am not sure that I would be able to make it there, but nevermind, I am making the payment for two plates - one for my boy and the other for his lovely wife. Son, I don't know if you will ever understand what that wonderful evening meant for me. It was the best date of my life. Thank you so much. I love you, son.'
That particular moment I felt as if time had stopped, I realized the value of saying in time, 'I Love You!' and to give our dear ones the love and time that they merit so much. There is nothing in this world which is more valuable than the Almighty and our very own family. Give your family all the time and love that they merit, for these are the things which cannot ever be put off or postponed till 'some other time.' Do not give it a second thought, do not procrastinate, if you want to say 'I Love You!', say it right now for you may not be lucky enough to get another chance, for life may not give you a second chance.
If this story has touched your heart, please pass it on to everyone you know with an aging parent or grandparent, to an acquaintance, to a friend, to a small child, to a grown-up man, to anyone with parents or grandparents and all those somebodies about whom you care and you think incessantly and to whom you want to say but could never say 'I Love You!'
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