Companionship

“I m sitting in a bed with my back dropped and my head hanging down to stare at my empty palms. A pale blue linen barely covering my legs, I wonder how long I m like this.  The faint click of the clock’s needle could be heard distinctly due to the haunting silence that hangs in this room. The cot spits a squeaking sound when I tried to move. The room where my cot sits is nothing more than a void with walls trying to enclose.

The walls have a muddy wall paper that started cracking, indicating the need for a fresh paint. I lay there in my throne, chewing the leftovers in the plate. I missed to tell about the plate, the plate that is always full with things that I can barely much. The filing is always done by a woman in white. I don’t remember the last conversation with that woman, so no chance of me knowing her name.

What’s so important about the woman in white (WIW)? The bond between us is so tight, like the cloth she uses to fasten me to the cot. I don’t have the slightest idea why she does this? Probably my son would have advised her. Yes, my son who pays the WIW to clean my ass and keep me smelling like a new born.

My son never ditched me, perhaps moved me to a place where I could have more privacy. A place, where my daughter-in-law can’t complain about me. A void shared by me with plates, cot and the lone clock that hangs in the wall. I lay slumped, waiting for each day to roll by, without the slightest hint of what’s next in my kitty bag.

I m an old penny shelved in a chamber to be watched by visitors, which includes my son and grand children. Ouch!! My back hurts me, I have to lie down, please call WIW! “

The above speech belongs to a woman aged 72 living all alone in a room for 4 years. She can’t speak clearly due to Alzheimer’s – senile dementia. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. In other words, the onset of childhood behavior when you days are numbered. The speech was reproduced without any modifications to portray the brutal reality and quest for seeking solace. Despite her son abandoning her, she hardly had any apathy towards him.

            She knew that she is alone waiting for her end, but still she gave me a smile when I consoled her not to worry. Before leaving I asked her, “What shall I get for you?” she replied, “Spend some time with me, son” Now, I had the answer for her quest – companionship!!