Her kind of love was not loud, it was rather ‘unspoken’…………

7th November, 2018
Diwali

They say that diyas bring light, fortune and hope, so I decided to make a diya mandala at the entrance of my home.
The fragrance of maroon geru and yellow marigold petals created a divine symphony of the damp earth and drifting air!

While I was lost in creating a perfect rangoli, I heard someone’s footsteps. I paused as the patter became closer and louder. It was Mr. Kanungo. Startled, I left the rangoli and welcomed him inside.

Is aunty still not feeling well? I asked him, feeling anxious about Mrs. Kapoor’s health.
Opposed to his steady and confident demeanor, Mr. Kanungo looked uneasy.

“She has a sharp pain in her right leg, so she has sent me to give you these,” he said as he gave me a box of Ferrero Rocher and a purple velvet pouch. I hesitantly accepted the Diwali gifts.
“If Jyoti had been here, she would have asked you to open and see what is inside it,” he spoke pointing at the pouch. We both smiled at Mrs. Kapoor’s childlike innocence.

It had not been more than ten minutes when he left.

I inquisitively opened the purple pouch to find a pair of earrings. They were tiny pearls woven together into the shape of infinity with an outline of golden beads. But they looked familiar. I was sure that I had seen them somewhere before. And then, my thoughts went to the days when I saw Mrs. Kapoor wearing them with her sarees.

But why would she give me something that she herself loved to wear! I thought to myself in surprise (unaware that in days to come it would hold a truth I was not ready for).

I picked up the phone to ask her why, but stopped and went back to sprinkle marigold petals on the diya mandala.
The earrings were in my lap and my heart was full of unanswered questions…..

Perhaps, it was an unspoken gift she gave me that day, a missing part of herself!

Next part: The Farewell

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