Chapter 7

One day as I was weaving, I decided to go to the front balcony. I saw a group of boys and girls down. Soon, I saw Sam, my best friend and schoolmate. He saw me, recognized me and was very happy.

He came inside and my mother offered him food and a cup of tea. After eating, he saw my weaving and told my mother that he wanted to marry me. My mother looked at me. I nodded. She agreed for marriage and told him to shift to their house after marriage. She said that she knew that her daughter was ready for marriage.

When Sam went away, my mother entered into conversation with me, ‘Anna! Would you like to marry Sam ?”

“Yes, of course,mom,” I said.

” Do you like Sam? ”

Yes,of course, since childhood. ”

We married each other. Anu also came with Ram and they had shifted to another flat nearby after my father’ s death. Sam came to live with me and my mother after marriage.

Slowly, my weaving came to be known in the whole Calcutta and I was known for it. Some time later, we decided to go to Assam for an outing. My mother stayed back.

We went to the hills in Assam and stayed in a guest house. I was sleeping in the guest house when a knock came from outside. I opened the room and I was told that somebody was calling me down. I went down and attended to the reception lady and when I came up , I saw that Sam was not there. I looked everywhere but he was not to be found.

Alas! He was missing. I went to the hotel lobby and looked everywhere for him. He was not to be found. In despair, I boarded the train and went back to Calcutta. I reached back to my home and started crying. My mother listened to me patiently. She said that she was also quite alarmed by the whole thing and said that he must have gone somewhere and could not contact me and told me to wait for he could come back.

A few days went by. No news came about Sam. Then I thought I did not know Sam and his family. How could I have married him without knowing his family background? I felt I had been cheated.

I was pregnant and delivered my child in about 6 months from that time. My mother helped me and I felt the loss of Sam.

After about two years, the police people called me. They said that Sam had been located.  They said that Sam had been employed by the government to investigate crimes that were taking place in east India. He was from the police investigating team and had to rush for an assignment undercover from Assam.

Sam, my mother and my son we all came back home. I introduced him to my son and we all shifted to a more secure place in the railway station of Calcutta. It was in the station premises. There were railway flats and government residence for railway and police staff.

In 1973, Sam was honoured by the police. My mother expired because of old age problem. I had left my weaving work and resorted to bringing up my son. My son went abroad for further studies when he was 15 years of age. Sam and I lived together. After sometime, we both came back to our old home.

I resumed my weaving work and got government acclaim for it. After about 5 years, Sam went to bring my son from abroad. He was out for a month.

One Monday morning, I came to know that Sam and my son have both died in a plane crash. I was disturbed. A police car came and confirmed the news. I was so panic stricken.I was all alone again. Everything had ended. There was nobody. I went to Sam’s room.I saw the medals and pictures on the wall and burst into tears. I felt quite depressed. I thought Life is to be lived alone,

I am in misery,

I am in grief,

I have done everything ,

Not a leaf is left unturned, 

Still there is nothing left,

My loved ones are all dead,

For all those who would have cared,

I lived a long happy life,

But today ,

I am near to dead,

I cannot live in the past,

I have to come out in the present,

and live my future.