The old lady and her husband decided to move to the hills away from the bustle of the city, much at her will. They had both retired some years ago, then in their seventies. Done with what the world calls "responsibilities" the old woman now wanted to fulfill her dream of living amidst nature, the dream wasn't shared by the husband but like everytime, he chose to accompany. They had a pretty home in the valley, wooden floor, sloping roofs-very different from their city house. The poor old man fell weak and had bad knees, he couldn't walk so how could he catch with his excited wife's pace. Daily, she'd cook for him and went off carrying a woven basket in her wrinkled hands with a bright smile. She had made a lot of friends of all ages and came back home carrying talks of them all. She narrated a different story every day and her husband listened attentively. He would smile, laugh, feel amused at how excited his wife got while narrating anecdotes to him. She was his eyes to the beautiful world which was just across the fence- the journey he could not make. He would read or sleep when she was away, he always waited for her to come and when she did, the little party began. One day, after several months of moving in, like every other day- the lady woke up and tried to woke him up. He didn't move and had stopped breathing. ************ Two months into her husband's death, her children dropped in for the third time demanding she went back with them. As always, she said "no". She didn't want to tell them what life she had made of these hills and didn't want to tell them that this was what she called home now. " You cannot hinge on to it forever, come on mom you got to move on ", they said. Though the lady didn't cry and make a fuss about her husband's death, it got her thinking about the time when she was young and demanded her grandmother to move on from her grandfather's death stating " It's the old age, it happened". She found herself much in the same position now. She staunchly stuck to her decision and the kids had given up. Everyday she tried to wake up with him not being beside her. She'd go out taking her woven basket everyday, she'd talk to people which she had once claimed to her husband was her most enjoyable doing. But it wasn't the same anymore. No matter how bright a smile she carried, no matter how many stories she gathered, no matter how many potatoes she had carried back in her basket, an empty home welcomed her. The iron chair did not have him anymore, no eyes waited for her to come home. It was then she realised, it wasn't the hills, it wasn't the stories, it was her husband's smiles she looked forward to,the stories she garnered all day were for her to be able to tell her husband, tell him everything she saw and knew. As days passed she fell weaker and chose to hover around the iron chair at home rather than go out. Who would she recite to after all? She would sit sipping tea watching from the windows the hills that stood mighty afar. It took only months for her to make a go after her husband. Make a go to the heaven. ******** In the heaven: The doors to the heaven opened and she had walked in reluctantly, feeling lonely as ever. She walked the fluffy clouds and sat meekly in one place. Just then, her husband had appeared- she didn't think of this possibility- of meeting him in the heaven. She tried hard to hold tears back and hugged him while he broke down in her arms. He said "I missed you", she cried as she wiped his tears. She held his face and asked, " How are your knees now? " , he said, "still the same, cannot walk" **A few days later in the heaven, the husband narrates:**
In the heaven, my wife didn't choose to wander around but stayed alongside me as though she feared losing me again. She assured herself that now that we were in the heaven, there was no way we could be seperated. As always she would make me laugh and make me a warm bed in the clouds and always made sure I had a sound sleep. On the day, God's guards arrived and grabbed at me, she cried" What for are you taking him away? " "It's God's law and God's order", the guard said, " Your husband has stayed long enough in the heaven, now it's time to write him a different fate" "Your time will come soon too", another guard mentioned to her. At that she rose and hugged me tight and said, " No one is going to take you away from me, I'll fight God ". I spent the following days holding on to her with pain while she asked me to calm down and not worry. She had finally gotten her appointment with the God. I stood at the gates of his palace and watched her. " Oh God, how can you take him away, he is my husband, you cannot simply take him away" "You all are nothing but my creation", God said. " It doesn't take me a moment to take your husband away ", he smiled softly. " No! ", my wife cried, her voice quivering and tears flowing down her cheeks," No one is going to take my husband away, no one is going to string his fate with another.. No one is going to make him forget me.. Oh God, not even you! " Her eyes red, she came stomping out of the palace and said to me smiling softly, "Don't worry, they won't take you away, I put a fight there, they say they'll take you away later but I'm there, you know? ". I spent holding onto her and she guarded me day in day out, until one night I woke up to the guards before me and my wife asleep. They had chained me and I could not utter a word to wake her from sleep. I was told that now, my fate was to be tied with someone else. For one last time I took a look at my wife, she slept peacefully and the last thing I remember is that, I didn't want my fate to be tied with anyone but her.
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