OH LIFE “I MUST SURVIVE” (EPISODE FIVE)

STORY SERIES

…would answer back. She too got to know the names of a few of them.

It was a happy life for Tesa and her mother. They had enough money to spend. They did not need much. Tesa and her mother lived happily on. Then suddenly Jarin stopped

singing. She looked sad. Tesa was worried.

“Mother what is the matter with you?” she asked. “You look very sad and will not sing again. Are you ill or something?”

Jarin would cheer up immediately. “Oh, no, my child,” she would say. “I am well only I get tired of singing sometimes.” She did not wish to make Tesa unhappy, but soon after she will look sad again.

Tesa kept watching her mother but she did not ask her any question. She was both sad and afraid because she did not know what would happen next. She feared that her mother was ill. She felt that if her mother took ill and did not get well, she might die. She too became sad. Sometimes she wept. When her mother asked her why she wept, she wouldn’t say.

One day Jarin coughed for a long time. She held her sides as she coughed. It was a dry cough. At first she spat out nothing. Her face showed that she found coughing painful.

“Mother, are you ill, said Tesa. You are having a lot of pain. I can see it”

“Just this light cough and no more,” Jarin answered. “It is nothing to worry about, it will soon go.”

But it did not go. Jarin coughed again for long. Then at last she spat out something. It was red.

“Mother, mother!” shouted Tesa in great alarm. “It is blood. You spat out blood; red blood.”

“Don’t look at it,” answered the mother. “It is nothing serious, at my age that can happen.”

Tesa did not know whether or not to believe her. She had never seen anyone spit out blood. All the same Tesa’s fear grew. Often she looked at her mother’s face for long. Tears filled her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears off lest passers-by see her.

From that day on, Jarin’s cough became worse. She spat out more blood. She lost weight and her beautiful face was no longer full and soft. Ugly lines began to show on her face as she dried up.

They still managed to move to the stall when it was night and back to the road side when it was dawn, Jarin was no more singing. She had not the strength. Tesa knew that the voice could not be beautiful again.

One day Jarin did not eat her breakfast. She did not eat her lunch too. Tesa knew that something serious was happening. She remained silent all day. She did not even move from the mat. She sat very close to her mother and held her hand, the hand which had become thin and weak. Her mother did not move the hand.

“Tesa, my child” Jarin said very feebly. “I want to tell you something. Promise me you won’t cry.”

“I promise,” Tesa answered readily. She wanted to know what her mother wanted to say.

“Good, my child.” Her mother went on.” I am going to die soon.

Tesa jumped up and shouted “No, no, mother.” “Ush!” the mother said, asking Tesa to be quiet.… to be continued on Thursday.

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