Small Story 124. Shyamala'a Shock

Small Story 124. *Shyamala's Shock** Ram was reading the newspaper when his wife, Ambujam, called from the kitchen, "You take the phone and find out who is calling me." Ram picked up the phone and found it was Shyamala on the other end. "Hey, why no calls from you?" Shyamala asked. Ram replied, "I’m Ram speaking. I’ll pass the phone to her." "Ambujam When are you returning from the UK? It’s been over three years since we met. Shyamala replied How’s Desikan, my favorite boy? Sandhya always asks about him. Is he with you?" "Why don’t you visit us for dinner?" Ambujam suggested. Shyamala responded, "No, I’ll come over for tea at 5 PM with your favorite Mysorepak." At 5 PM, Shyamala arrived and was greeted warmly by Ram and Ambujam. "You've gone down, Ambujam! Here, I bought this shirt for Desikan. Where is he?" Shyamala asked. Ambujam fell silent for a few seconds. Then, with a heavy heart, she said, "I lost my dear son last year." Shyamala was shocked. "How? What happened?" Ambujam explained, "He went with his colleague’s parents to a wedding in Udupi. On the way back, their car was hit by a heavy vehicle, and all three of them were killed. His colleague, Vasanthy, who was a good friend, promised over the phone that she would take care of us, as she too lost her parents. We moved from Chennai to Bengaluru last year to live with her. This house was built by her father. Even though we received a sizable compensation for Desikan’s death, it’s nothing compared to losing him." Shyamala was devastated. "My God, I never knew. I haven’t communicated with you in over 18 months, so I wasn’t aware. I’m so sorry, my dear friend," she said, hugging Ambujam. Shyamala Continued, "Sandhya wanted Desikan as her life partner once she settled down, and my husband Murali too. Ambujam whisphered ,But Desikan was firm in his decision not to marry. He loved me deeply, and since he was the only son, he chose to stay with me. Then, this tragic incident happened." Shyamala spoke softly, "When you came to Bengaluru, Last year.I immediately sent our address. I thought you were calling from Chennai." "I came yesterday from London to attend a wedding. I was planning to leave for Chennai tomorrow but never thought i will meet you here," Shyamala explained. Ambujam smiled. "You can stay here until you leave for London. It’ll be good to have you with us." "I was planning to come only for you, to see you and Ram. But I’m missing my charming boy," Shyamala whispered. Ambujam reassured her, "Now, relax. Tonight, we’ll go out for dinner. We can reminisce about our school days in Madurai, and later, our time in Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli. Go ahead and bring your luggage from the hotel. I’ll join you soon." Both women left to bring the luggage. K.Ragavan 13-1-25