Life had been pretty stable for the last ten years. Though a lot had changed in terms of building my career in the city, the place remained the same. This city was my home. And then as life would have it I had to move, again. This time the reason was me. The carefree days of a student’s life had passed and the responsible days of a working adult had come by. They were here to stay for a long time. It was hard. The transition was even harder.
It was my last day at my first company. I was resigning. To start my journey with Adobe the first step was to move to Bangalore. I had to leave in four days. I had planned to say goodbye in the evening, pack my bags, and leave the hostel. While I was relishing my last day with my friends at the office my mom was getting sick by the second. After she was taken to the hospital and the doctor advised her to get admitted I got a call. I accelerated my release process and rushed back to the hostel. I still had a few things left to pack. Meanwhile, my uncle was on the way to the hostel to take me to the hospital.
I finished my packing and ran down with all my luggage. I wanted to be at the hospital as soon as possible. Only soon became a lot later. My release was still under processing. The hostel authorities didn’t let me leave. I had to make many calls to my friends in the office to help me out. It took about an hour or so to get this sorted. My stress levels had skyrocketed. I just wanted to see my mother.
I sat in the car. It was a long journey to the hospital. The rain made it even longer. Both of us were silent. We didn’t know what to say. Every now and then we made small talk but it couldn’t drown the fact that both of us were worried. It took us about three hours to finally make it to the hospital.
I ran to the emergency ward and searched for my mother. I sighed with relief once my eyes fell on her. Even in these harsh conditions, she was smiling. She told me what happened, what the doctor said. Then she was moved to a private room. I stayed with her. It was her birthday the next day. We didn’t imagine we’d be celebrating it in a hospital. Nevertheless, we spent it together. She slept mostly. We talked when she was awake. I didn’t want to go back home without her. But I had to. I had to take care of things at home. And my sister needed her mother too. So for the next three days all of us kept coming in back and forth.
The day had come for me to leave for Bangalore. My mom had recovered well during the past few days. We were still in the hospital. My bus was to leave at noon. My sister had come to the hospital in the morning so that we could switch. While we were spending some time together I got a call. It was the bus operator. My bus was leaving two hours early which meant two hours from now. My plan of stopping by the hospital again before taking the bus had been shattered. And yet again I had a few things left to pack. I was moving to another city. I didn’t expect the goodbyes to be rushed. But I guess the rush made it a little easier to leave.
I reached home and finished packing. I ate a little and then it was time to leave. I reached in time to catch my bus. It was only after I settled down in my seat that my mind paced down. This was not how I pictured moving out alone would be like. Nonetheless, I was stepping into a new phase of my life. Though the beginning was a bit rocky the journey has been exceptional.
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