Leaves

Ramprasad was looking at the tree in his garden. It was the falling season and the leaves were falling from the tree. The tree was about to be leafless. He didn't know which tree it was. The breeze was slightly warm and was giving him a warmness and coziness. He looked at the leaves that were scattered on the ground. Brown and dead leaves. All of a sudden a thought came into his mind that one day he, too, would die like these leaves and would be decomposed like these leaves. Fear and aloneness ran down his spine. He became sad and he closed his eyes. His eyes became wet. And he began to look in another direction where roses were blooming. These roses made him fall into memories of his late wife Sheela. He remembered how one day she had brought the rose plants from the market and planted them on that corner. How she had watered and looked after these rose plants. How happy she was when the roses bloomed for the first time. Since then the roses bloomed every year. Ramprasad remembered how she had made a house a home. How happy they were when Sheela gave birth to Sneha their daughter. Sneha took after her mother. Those days, his life was full of happiness. He was happy having almost everything in his life.


"Good morning, sir." hearing this he came out of the memories. It was the housemaid who used to come every morning to clean the house and prepare meals for him. She knew what Ramprasad like to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She prepared it. Ramprasad had appointed her as a housemaid after the death of Sheela. Since then she has been working for him.


Ramprasad began to look at the trees. Within a few days, all the leaves would fall and then new leaves would begin to come. Ramprasad likes the colors of new leaves. The bright green color of the new leaves. Ramprsad fell again into memories. The sad memories of this wife's last days. All of a sudden she had fallen ill. It was already too late before doctors diagnosed her disease. She had cancer. The doctor told him that Sheela's days were numbered. He was shocked to hear this. Sneha was only ten years old at that time. He did all that he could do to save Sheela. Sheila's condition was deteriorating day by day. Sheela was sad and worried not for herself but for Sheha. Who would look after her after her death?
Sheela was admitted to the hospital. He and his Sneha went to the hospital every evening and the morning to meet her. He always took roses for Sheela and kept them on the side table. When she awoke, she found fresh roses on the table, and despite severe pain, a sweet smile came on her face. And the day came when doctors did an operation on her to remove tumors on her. Ramprasad could see the fear and pain in her eyes when she was taken into the operating theater. Ramprasd looked at a nurse with a question in his eyes. "pray to god. She is so weak," the nurse said to Ramprasad. Hearing this He could not help but shed tears. After two hours Sheela succumb to the fatal cancer.
After the death of Sheela, it was hard for Ramprasad to look after Sneha. She was missing her mom and she was not old enough to manage without her mother. So Ramprasad took the help of Sneha's granny who lived in a small town. Granny did her job well. Granny looked after Sneha very well. But unfortunately when Sneha was fourteen years old, Granny passed away. Once more they were alone. Ramprasad sent Sneha to boarding school. Since then he has been alone. He fell into a nap while walking down memory lane.

The housemaid awoke him and said, "Sir, breakfast is ready, " hearing this, Ramprasad awoke. The housemaid was around forty years old. She was a widow.
She used to keep to herself and didn't like to talk too much to anyone. Ramprasad knew she was of clean heart.

Sneha was quite different from her late mother and her father Ramprasad. She was a girl of new thoughts. She had her own ways of living. She was alone among the students of the school and then college. She used to come home only to spend the summer leaves. Ramprasad did not like to interfere in her matters. After graduating from a prestigious college she began her career as a bank officer. After some months, she married her boyfriend against the will of Ramprasad. He was unhappy with her over the issue of marriage. Sneha along with her husband came to meet him and take blessings. But Ramprasad refused to meet her. Her husband tried to talk to him but he did not speak more than a few words. When Sneha was departing, her eyes were wet and she was sad. Somehow she managed to say, "Sorry papa." later in the evening, Ramprasad wept like a child but no one was there to console him.

After breakfast, Ramprasad felt alone and again went to the garden. Sitting on a chair near the roses, he began to read the newspaper.
"Sir, have a tea," hearing this he looked behind. It was the housemaid with two cups. He took it and began to sip the tea. The housemaid sat on another chair. Both of them began to look at the roses. Both of them had a lot of memories to recall.
The rose bushes had many buds to bloom.
These buds made Ramprasad remember his grandchild. And it came to him how his grandchild was and who the grandchild resembled, his father or mother? He never saw him. Last month, Sneha called him and gave him the good news of giving birth to a grandchild. Hearing this, Ramprasad was happy and congratulated her. Sneha requested him to come and see the grandchild but at that time he was so emotional that he could not say anything to her. He was now feeling guilty for not giving her a response.
All of a sudden he decided to go and meet the grandchild. His eyes were wet. He looked at the maid who was also absorbed in her thoughts.

All of a sudden they heard the sound of opening the gate. When they looked at the gate, Ramprasad was surprised to see Sneha with a child in her lap. Behind her was her husband. Ramprasad stood up and proceeded towards Sneha. Sneha and her husband bowed down in respect. Ramprasad put his hands on their heads to bless them. Ramprasad was happy and laughing like a child.
The next morning, when Ramprasad along with Sheha and grandchild was having tea in his garden, he saw new leaves begin to come in the trees.