THE young man stood at the head of a quiet village street with a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hand. It was a street he had a vague recollection of because he had been six years old when he was taken away. But as he grew up, the blurred image of that street stayed in his mind, for the most precious thing in his life was most likely still there, waiting.

He had vowed silently that one day, when he was old enough, confident and self-independent, he would look for that street to find what had been missing from his life for fifteen years. He had parked his luxury vehicle at the side of the road because he wanted to walk, and taking a deep breath, he began walking down the street.

He passed two cross streets, impressed by the paved road, the neatly weeded parapets, and the absence of litter. The neat houses, variety of fruit trees in the yards — a small community. As he walked, a strange feeling surged through his body, and he stopped by a cute little house with a vibrant, flowering garden and the sounds of animals and birds.

It seemed like a small animal sanctuary.

An elderly man attending to the dogs answered his call, “I am looking for a woman named Shreya.”

The old man looked at him for a moment, the flowers in his hand, then nodded his head slightly and ambled to the back of the house. Arun took a deep breath, a little nervous, his heart beating a little fast. She came from the back, holding two kittens, a gentle smile on her face, as she laid them down on a cushion.

She walked towards the gate where he was waiting, and looking at her, the world seemed, for a moment, to stop for him. His father had told him one night, with regret in his voice, “She’s a beautiful woman with a gentle smile.”

“She sure is,” he said to himself.

After fifteen long years, now he was seeing her, that missing part of his life.

“Hello,” she spoke, and the world restarted for him.

“I — can I come in?” he asked.

She looked at the handsome young man standing there with a bouquet and nodded to the gardener to open the gate. Arun handed her the bouquet and said, “I want to wish you a happy Mother’s Day.”

She accepted the flowers a little hesitantly and asked, puzzled, “Why would you, a stranger, offer me flowers for Mother’s Day?”

“So you can feel special today.”

A sad look flickered across her face, and he said to her, a little choked in his voice, “I’m Arun.”

That revelation took a little while to register in her mind, and she asked with a little tremor in her voice, “My Arun? My little Arun, who was taken away from me so long ago?”

He nodded, tears filling his eyes.

“I have come home to you, Mom.”

She touched his face gently and asked, her lips trembling, “Am I dreaming?”

He wiped the tears from her face. “No, mom, you’re not dreaming.”

“How long have I ached to hear that word!” she expressed, and broke down crying.

He hugged her close, crying too, and it was amazing how quiet the animals became, as if they sensed something special was happening for their caregiver.

After a long moment, mother and son regained a little control of their emotions and sat down. She rested the bouquet on the small centre table and said, “It’s beautiful, I love flowers.”

He smiled. “I somehow felt you did.”

She looked at him, still somehow not believing he had come back to her.

“You have grown so much from a little boy,” she said, lowering her head a little, crying softly, “I thought you had forgotten me.”

He took a deep breath so he could speak in a steady voice. “I don’t remember much except for a strong hand dragging me whilst I was crying, looking back at a figure standing on a bridge with outstretched arms. I grew up with that blurred image in my head and promised myself that one day I would find you.”

“The grief of losing you,” she told him, “made me almost lose my mind. I had to resign from my teaching job, and it took a long while for me to regain my mental strength to live again.”

“If it’s any comfort, the way things are with him now, I think he regrets what he did to you.”

She smiled wryly. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

She picked up a kitten that was curled up beside her and, cuddling it lovingly, she told her son, “I was walking home one night from the mandir when I heard a soft, pitiful crying in the grass. It was a poor, homeless kitten, and I took it home and gave it the love and care it needed. As much as I saved the kitten, it saved me, too, from grief and loneliness.”

“And that’s where the idea came from to start a shelter for homeless animals?”

“Yes,” she smiled, a little light in her eyes, for it was doing something she genuinely loved.

Arun looked around and smiled appreciatively.

“You’re doing something selfless and wonderful.”

He looked at her little house, which seemed so cosy and comfortable, the flower and vegetable gardens, the cat patio, the open kennels, and a small bench. It was like she had created her own little paradise, whilst he grew up in his father’s mansion with luxuries. He should have been happy, but he was never completely so, for this beauty was missing from his life.

He went out back to the road and drove in his vehicle, parking it in front of the yard. He brought in a lunch he had ordered, gifts for her, and a lovely cake to celebrate the day with her. They spoke of many things so Arun could understand what caused the break-up between her and his father. She relayed to him that she came from an average family, was a nursery school teacher, and sang in the kirtan group at her mandir.

Her innocence and simplicity had won his heart, and just a year later, they got married. But his playboy lifestyle, which she hadn’t known about, didn’t stop him, and tension began to creep into their relationship. It came a day when she couldn’t take it anymore and left his rich home with her son. She had refused to return, and because of that, he demanded the child and filed for custody.

He won the case because of his money and connections and took the child away from her.

She sighed deeply, a distressed look on her face and related, “I couldn’t even get visitation rights.”

Arun lifted her hand and kissed it.

“Nothing compares to a mother’s love; it’s precious, a bond that cannot be broken.”

And for the first time, he saw that warm smile, a smile that touched his heart and, leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek.

“Happy Mother’s Day, mom, now and forever.”