HER name is Sajani.
An East Indian woman from a third-world country.
She had migrated to America a few decades ago.
Life had taken her through many paths, rough and smooth, but she managed to hold her own as a wife and mother. Her inherited strength, resilience, and determination keep strong the pillars of home and family.

Her husband had died fifteen years ago, yet she never faltered nor missed a step in caring or providing for her children. But as she grew older, her body became worn and tired, losing the vibrancy and enthusiasm of her younger years. She had slowed down and worked fewer hours, close to retirement, not worrying about anything. She knew that as she held her children’s hands when they needed her, they would hold hers when she needed them.

But life dealt her a painful blow.
Today she sits in the garden of a nursing home in a wheelchair.
“This must be a nightmare,” she kept telling herself, “I will soon awaken from it.”
But days went by slowly, seasons changed and life, it seemed, was moving ahead, leaving her behind. Her sons came on her birthday to celebrate with her. Such a joyous feeling she had felt that day, her heart filled with happiness, but the day ended and they had kissed her ‘goodbye’ until another visit.
She sighed deeply, sitting there in the ambience of the spring blossoms, the cool and fragrant wind embracing her face; the little things that brought little joys in her life for those who mattered the most were not close to her, not anymore.

She was in a strange place, far away from home, her days and nights spent among strangers.
“Why?” she had asked in deep pain, “What wrong did I do to deserve this?”
She had cried so much after being placed in the nursing home. She had no more tears left.
“Is this where it ends for me?” she cried silently, a deep ache in her heart, “Did I come here to die?”
The wheelchair began to move as hands from behind pushed it slowly.

“Back to that dull place,” she lamented.
But instead of the home, she was taken on a tour of the garden, stopping under a cherry blossom tree, the soft petals falling in her hair and in her lap. It gave her mind a brief moment of peace and after a long time, a little laughter of joy escaped her lips.
“Thank you,” she said quietly to the person standing behind her.

“It’s a kind of therapy,” a male voice said behind her, “You are in too much pain.”
He came around to stand in front of her, a handsome, young male nurse with a kind smile. A slight strange tremor passed through her body as she looked at him. It was quite puzzling, but before she could say anything, a female nurse came running across the gardens towards her, somewhat frantic.
“How did you get here?” she asked a bit breathlessly.
“The other nurse…” she began to say, but he wasn’t there.

The nurse looked around perplexed, “There’s no one here.”
“Strange,” Sajani murmured, “Where did he go?”
That night while lying in bed, she thought of that afternoon, the tour around the garden, the cherry blossoms, and the male nurse with a kind smile.
Something felt different, something that seemed to take away a little of her pain.
“I wonder,” she mused and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but when she opened her eyes, the male nurse was standing by her bedside. There was a kind of gentleness in his voice when he spoke to her.
“How are you doing?”
She pressed a button to raise her bed and said, “I had some sleep.”
“Good, you hadn’t been sleeping well.”
She looked at him, a little puzzled, “I can’t remember seeing you around here much.”
“I’m around…always,” he said with that kind smile, “I know everything about everyone here.”

He came closer to the bed and said, “I know you’re looking forward to Mother’s Day when your sons will be visiting you.”
“Yes,” she smiled, a spark of light in her eyes, “Something wonderful to look forward to…” she paused and continued, the spark fading, “Then days would become dull again until another visit.”
He shook his head a little, understanding her pain, and said to her in a way of comfort, “It’s a different life and culture here for parents when old and needing care to be put in nursing homes.”
She took a deep breath and then said quietly, “I made the ultimate sacrifices, giving heart and soul to my children. What did I do wrong?”
“You did nothing wrong, it’s just another phase of your life.”

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and when she reopened them, the nurse was just turning to leave but her words stopped him, “Do you think I did something wrong in my past life?”
He looked at her for a long moment before answering, “I’m not sure. Only you can know that.”
“I feel like something is missing from my past life that I can’t find.”

“Well, then maybe there’s a door to your mind you had closed a long time ago that you need to open to find the answers you want.”
On the eve of Mother’s Day, she asked the male nurse, “So, would you be going home to your mother?”
“No,” he answered.
“Why?”
“She never wanted me.”

“Oh,” she exclaimed quietly, surprised by his blunt answer.
On Mother’s Day as she sat in the embrace of her sons and their families, the male nurse walked by on his way out, the pain evident on his face as he looked at her.
That night’s sleep evaded her as she thought of him, “I wonder, what’s his story?”
To be continued…