We Will All Be Just Memories!

There is this friendly, elderly server working in a restaurant near my office. I couldn't see him last week when I went for my usual bite. I didn't give it much thought, assuming it might have been a day off for him.

When I visited the restaurant for breakfast today, I saw him back at work. He was looking quite dishevelled and desolate. I smiled at him as usual and enquired about his health, as I thought that he was not keeping well. He looked back at me with lifeless eyes and told in his typical hurried style that his wife had passed away ten days ago. I was about to pull out a chair to sit, but felt stunned and stood there, staring at his face, unsure of what I should say. I made the usual enquiry about her age and health issues. He simply told me that she was 62 and was not known to have any health issues till the last moment. All that she felt was a sense of breathlessness for the last five minutes before it all ended forever.

Not wanting to probe him further and thus causing him relive the pain of separation, I ordered my food and sat there in silence throughout my breakfast. When I paid the bill and gave him the usual tip of Rs. 10, I felt a tinge of pain and a little silly for assuming that a single printed currency note will make him feel better today. Not having the courage to look at his lifeless eyes I walked back to work surrounded by a sense of glum.

Five minutes was all it took for him to lose his companion of many decades forever. Reams have been written about the uncertainty of life, but now that I am slowly moving towards middle age myself, having crossed the impregnable enthusiasm of youth, every such loss around makes me dwell deeper and deeper at the bonds around. Five minutes is all that they had to say goodbye, to relive the companionship of 40+ years, to apologize for those hurts caused knowingly and unknowingly, to say how much they loved one another, to share the gratitude for a life of togetherness. Five damn minutes that we all waste away buried in our gadgets and meaningless pursuits, behaving as if we have eons of life stretching ahead of us.

Wake up, people! Greet your parents. Hug your spouse. Kiss your children. Celebrate your friendships. Be grateful to all the people that matter to you. Convey your affection every time you get a chance. Our clocks are all ticking and the needles can stop anytime. Let's make sure that we make each moment count. Take care!

 

A.