I dug my cold hands inside the pouches of my trouser. I felt the crepes of money, the convict who killed her. I explored my cellphone. No, I didn't have any picture of her. So, won't I get to see her contenting smile anymore? The thought almost uprose my goosebumps.
But I remained strong. The bittersweet memories kept flashing in my mind. It seemed like it happened yesterday. Yesterday only it was when her smile lost its reason to do so. The doctor prescribed her malaria. "Don't worry, you will be fine soon, " I assured her one day. Almost a month went by but there's no sign of curing from this unwished visitor.
Only the selling of the cattle helped her go to the nearby city for better treatment. "It is typhoid and not malaria. The medication was wrong. Operation will be the best way out to save her life and we will recommend to do the same," the doctor stated. But the best was not that good.
With such rememberings throughout the journey, I reached the burial. I got down from the bicycle and pierced through the weeping people. The white cloth was removed for me by someone indistinguishable. I bent down. Her face incited my shaky fingers in motion. I touched her cold stoned cheek. I broke down from inside but I didn't cry a trifle.
I stared at the small boy crawling near the corpse. He was her immature son. He was holding a toy gun and was laughing cutely which was heart wrenching to watch. Little did he know that his mother won't be able to sing anymore to bring him sleep.
Then my eyes detected his aged father. He was busy consoling his traumatised daughter. What left with him was his two siblings and a wife whose heart stopped beating forever. He was badly in debt due to the expenses of treatment . The fear of rising interest and poverty nudged him to sell the only piece of land he had.
I clapped to dust off the remaining soil from my hands and observed the grave being filled up. Then I walk towards the kid. I hold him in my arms and took away the toy gun. He became sad but my tickling made him smile once again. I handed him the money that I had with me right then. The money that supposed to kill his mother.
"Take your revenge my beloved neighbour and tear off the evil," I said him through my eyes. To my surprise he chewed out some of the notes and screamed loudly towards the moon that was shining in the night sky. After some time he buried his face in my chest and fell asleep. I caressed his cute head. His thin hairs felt good to touch.
Tags:
Fiction