Arun wiped away tears from his mother’s eyes.
He had nailed the dream job, and was leaving for America, along with his wife.
He felt his heart rip. Sadhna, his wife, was torn as well. She hugged her parents, siblings, cousins a few,
At the airport, it was time to bid adieu.
They boarded the flight , the sky was grey.
Both sets of parents thought that they would crumble away.
The only child of doting parents,
Arun had succeeded in life.
He was a mechanical engineer, as was his wife.
His company requested him to transfer to New York
He accepted, much to his parents’ shock.
“ Darling we are living our dream” quipped Sadhna one day,
She was sipping fresh juice, in her swanky New York apartment, in May.
Three years had passed by and the couple were expecting a child.
Sadhna was forced to quit her job, as day care was exorbitant,
The baby took all her time, she felt exhausted.
Meanwhile, Arun’s parents back in India fell ill,
His father was diagnosed with Alzheimers and his mom, a diabetic, was on insulin and pills.
“ Arun, something is missing in our Ria’s life, I say!”
“ You are right darling, she has no grandparents love or cousins to play”.
Sadhna walked over to Arun, and looked deep in his eyes,
The answer she found there, certainly didn’t surprise.
**********************************************
The knock on the door startled Arun’s mom.
It was 12 midnight, who could it be now?
“ Mom, we have come down for good “ quipped the couple,
They couldn’t wait for Ria to meet Sadhna’s sisters and Ria’s cousins.
Accomplished engineers, they could easily find work in Mumbai.
However, who could replace family in a baby’s life? We Indians, are just built this way.
