Love Actually

Last holiday, my grand father lost both his kidneys. Life could not be worse at 79 for a God fearing person who never forgot to pray 5 times a day. He has been diabetic for a long time and his eye muscles are too weak to assist him to view the world. Even with umpteen other complications he still had the radiance of his persona, belief, faith and principles ebullient on his face. His skin was yellow not pale, his hair white not disheveled, his head was blank but high.

As he laid on his hospital bed bequeath by his loved ones, I entered the room. The maudlin ambience brought me to tears. Every soul in that room may not be his kin but yes a cared soul for him for sure. This was his first night at the hospital and I opted to stay over and nurse him along with my uncle. As the clock struck 8 the phone rang. The nurse station told me to feed him his dinner. My uncle got my Grand father sit up, and rested his father on his chest like a baby; while my grand father sense see-sawed between unconscious and semi consciousness. I injected insulin to his body, he was torpid. Soon his dinner was ready to be fed. What did we have?- Bread Dipped in Milk! I took a spoonful of his dinner up to his lips but he would not open them. Like a child we pleaded and pleaded. This was when I felt the sense of a Déjà vu, and I started to see my childhood in his actions just that we have switched our roles. Finally he opened his mouth. After the food was placed in his mouth, he would not chew it! The pleading did not work this time. So, we had to move his jaw to awaken his senses to chew the food. As dinner got over I gave him his medicine straight into his mouth along with some water. Instead of swallowing it he started to chew this too. Exasperated, I asked him why he did so. He innocently spoke out “All this time you were only telling me to Chew”. It was like the old days when he taught me how to eat different kind of food.

I saw the dawn and prayed to Allah for my Grand Father’s well being. You must be thinking how does this relate to love? This is a duty is nt it? The feeling that flows into you when you feed the person who fed you; is love. The sensation of care when the person who helped you overcome your pain, takes your help; is love. The hand that rocked you to sleep, and you reciprocate; is love.

In the morning after I brushed his teeth and the family came to pay their morning visit. My mom said to my grand father “Ok, now open your eyes and tell me if you can recognize, who stayed with you last night?”. My grand father struggled with the eyelids and managed to open his eyes. A quick glance at all the faces in the room and then his view stops at me and then he gives me an enchanting smile. I felt this is love, amid this sorrow we all laughed and shared a joyous moment. I believe this is what love is, to wrap up – just a texture in the air that you feel and pick.

Syed S. Kamal
481-5475
Ca 4012
Sec 2