When I Saw Him for the First Time…
A Short Story
Author: Jansi
“I think I got into this car without realizing what I was doing! What am I going to do now?!” Saranya was in a dilemma of the utmost importance—whether to bite her nails in nervousness or not. She would bring her fingers toward her mouth, then pull them back with a disgusted “Ugh!” at the thought.
Her parents had arrived in their hometown a month earlier. After completing her final college examinations with her younger brother, Saranya had come home, knowing that she would have to return with her parents within a week. She had spent the whole week visiting every place she needed to, but until that day she had not found the time to visit her beloved aunt.
“We already went and saw her, didn’t we? Why do you want to go again? You have to pack. We can see her next time,” her parents had said.
But after travelling all that distance, how could she leave without seeing her dear aunt? She had stubbornly insisted on going. Her younger brother refused to accompany her, so for the first time, she travelled alone to her aunt’s village, which was about half an hour away.
Until her uncle was alive, both their families had lived close to one another in Hyderabad, hadn’t they? After his death, her aunt had settled in the village with her son. Since they had never had a daughter, Saranya had always been especially dear to her. From childhood, hadn’t her aunt showered her with affection, giving her little gifts and treats?
Both her aunt’s kidneys had failed. In such circumstances, how could Saranya leave without seeing her when she might not even be alive the next time Saranya visited? Despite her serious illness, her aunt was not confined to bed. She still moved about the house, doing little chores and looking after her own things without troubling anyone. Seeing her like that, Saranya understood why the doctor had spoken of her with such admiration.
Her aunt did not talk much about her illness. They chatted affectionately, and Saranya did not realize how quickly time had passed. When she casually stepped out onto the road, thinking it was only seven o’clock, she could not see a bus or van even after an hour. Her aunt’s son was away in another town, and Saranya felt uncomfortable that her unwell aunt had to remain with her at the bus stand.
Worried that she might be causing her aunt unnecessary trouble by making her accompany her, Saranya was also startled by how deserted the village was by eight o’clock. She told her aunt to go home and stood alone at the bus stand, wondering how she was going to catch a bus and get back, when a car happened to pass by.
Her aunt stopped the car and asked the driver to take Saranya along.
“Brother, the neighboring village is on your way. Please drop her there,” her aunt said.
Not knowing what else to say, Saranya got into the back seat. After saying goodbye to her aunt, she left.
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