The Accidental Stephanian.

First trip to Delhi

Sanu was folding clothes — meticulously putting the buttons on my white cotton shirt and folding the sleeves to the chest. Amma was overlooking and guiding the whole process, from the start till the end, from her bed. For the past one and a half years, all Amma could do was guide us from her bed. Despite her desire to help with the chores, her arthritis wouldn’t allow her to move an inch. I lay on the bed, daydreaming about the new sights I would witness in the capital city.

At this time, tomorrow, I will be in Delhi. Uncertain about the exact place but I am sure that I will be 2500 Km away from my home, mother, and Sanu. This will be the first time I am going this far from home. The thought of it passed through my nerves with an uneasiness. I am accompanied by my father, a friend, and his father. It was not the journey or strangeness, it was the uncertainty that I hated.

The flight is at 5 AM in the morning from Cochin airport, so we need to be there by 3 AM, Amma reminded us. This will be my first time on a plane. Airplanes are not a new thing to me though. As far back as my memories stretch, I have been witness to these huge aluminum cages landing and taking off from the Cochin airport. I have heard people from my village saying about the paddy fields where they used to play, work, and worship was snatched by the government to build the current bustling aerodrome.

We waited for Achan to return from work. His routine involved waking up at 5 AM to do the morning chores in place of Amma and reaching the hotel at 7 PM to repeat the same. His work ended at 10 PM. Night chores at home were split between Sanu and me, which was a glimmer of relief to him. We served dinner and went to sleep for the unusual day ahead.

I lay on the bed with my chest against the mattress. Would we four be having lunch together after today for a few years? Mind went on asking questions again and again until the need to sleep urged the eyes to close and delve deep into a relaxing sleep. I felt a pat on my shoulder, it was Achan asking me to wake up. It was already 2 in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and tried to process the information, feeling a rush of shock as I realized how quickly time had flown by.

I headed to the washroom to freshen up. While showering, warm tears rolled down my eyes that were still half-asleep. I knew I would come back after a few days, but the thought of leaving home, especially Amma and Sanu, was breaking my heart.

When necessity calls, you can’t say no. We reached the airport on time and boarded the plane. It was like an upgrade from a Volvo bus, with nicely dressed ladies guiding us to our seats and how to escape in an emergency. If life had provided us with guidance like this in every step we took, it would have been easier. But an easy life is not worth living.

There I sat in the aluminum cage for my first-ever trip to Delhi which I had planned years ago!