enter image description here

How evil can be a person to pray for someone's death, I wondered. But reality was far more evil. I saw my Grandma sitting besides my bedridden Grandpa for hours at late night just to console him. Her eyes craved to close, but her willpower kept her going.

Grandpa!!... He is one of the coolest Grandpa of his time I would say. With no conservative thoughts and rational approach, he is one of a kind. The saying, “LIVE LIFE KINGSIZE!!” was indeed meant for him. His life got tainted with one stupid accident. That draconian day is still very fresh in the mind of my Grandma. She so wishes she could roll back that day and make things right...just one more chance ... That day he not only lost the strength in his legs but also his will to live.

Days turned into months, months dragged to years. He still lived but all for namesake. His body was giving up. Nevertheless, even with his slim strength he strived to live a normal life. He screamed in the middle of the night, he indulged in childish cravings, he messed up his bed (you know what I mean)... ... little did he realise that he lost his memory. During all this chaos, one thing remained constant that is his better half, who stood besides him ... right there up and alive to help him live a little more better.

She was tired and old but she used to smile at him. What more can you expect from a wife. She truly was his life partner in all respects. To my mind, she was the perfect heroine any Bollywood movie would have, loving, caring, dancing to the tune of her partner, sacrificing without complains.

One day she bent to clean the mess he made and my eyes blurred looking at this scene. I cried and hugged her and told her, "Grandma, you are the best lover anyone can have. You truly are a great woman. I wish to be like you,"...she stopped me then and there. With smiling eyes she said "no more words my dear, you never know what lies behind a smiling face. She held my hands tight and whispered" I pray to God that He takes him away …. … in fact, I have decided to donate my gold bangles if he dies within a year or so."

I was taken back. I shooed my hands off and glared at her. Her whisper actually hit me hard. All I could think is, “how can one even think of this. I can never every make such prayer…. even, for the one whom I envy.” My grandma shocked her head and said "yes, it's TRUE. I pray this every day. It's been a year. But God is not listening to me." I was clueless, I felt anger and surprise but couldn't gather the courage to ask her any further.

I came back home and ran into my mothers arms and yelled...”how can she do this.... he is the best man. They make the best couple. She had a beautiful life.....and now she thinks wicked....” I couldn't stop and went on and on. My mother calmed me down and asked what went wrong. With a heavy heart I explained her what Grandma said to me and how sorry I was to tell this to her. But my mother smiled at me.

“What the hell I said... what is wrong with everyone. Why isn't everything normal.”

My mother then said those words which I will never forget. ‘It's better to let a person die once than to see him die every moment.’ My dear, “you need to see through and read between the lines. Trust your Grandma. She can only wish what is best for Grandpa.”

It was true. Grandpa was breathing but he hardly lived. He didn't recollect most of about himself, he refused to wear clothes, he screamed with pain, night and day, he ate more medicines than food, he couldn’t recognise his own grandchildren, he didn't remember lot of things he did.

I ate my tongue and rushed back to Grandma's home. I rang the bell ten times till she slowly came and opened the door. She said, “sorry dear I took time......i was helping your Grandpa get up.”

Tears rolled down my checks and hundreds of emotions filled my heart.

She asked me what's the matter ... I just said, "SORRY for not having a heart to understand what you said"

Sometimes you need to get into someone's shoes to really understand what he intends and why. You just cannot be judgemental. Every prayer has a story … !!!

Discus