Crossroads Of Life

Let me start off by saying this that I am the first girl in my family, who is studying in college, yet is unmarried!! Take my mom for instance. She got married off as soon as she passed her class X boards! Similar stories are shared by my aunts. My Boudi in that respect is pretty well off! She is a working-married-woman of our family who is still working in her 8th month of pregnancy! Hats off to her!

She has certainly set the yardstick for modern woman in my family. At least, she didn't let her life stop once she got married or as soon as she got pregnant! When i was a kid I used to ask my mom that what she used to do before I was born? And she would proudly answer that she did a MA in history and used to teach in Don Bosco. Those days B.Ed wasn't that necessary so she never had to give an exam.

So when she wanted to go to a higher levels of teaching she was asked to sit for the exam. As an innocent child I asked,"Then what happened?". Her answer was simple. "Then you were born". Fullstop!

Though, she never said it but the fact that her life stopped after I was born was pretty evident! I mean, yes, she did discover a new life as my mom- a mother's life, but she did stop living for herself. She began living for me.

If all goes well then after my graduation I might go out of the city for a better future. My dad will be as usual wrapped up in his work. I wonder what my mom will do then? Coz, till now she lived for me, getting things ready for me, arranging the house for me to return at night. But then I won't be there! So what will she do then?

I told her to start teaching again but she refused saying that she has lost the patience to teach and that she has to take an exam and she doesn't want to!

Boutique? My dad wrinkled his nose at it. Computer classes? She said what will she do by learning it. Somebody suggested sewing. My mom is actually oh-the-button-has-come-off-let-me-sew-it types not sewing-is-an-extension-of-my-souls types.

You see she is middle aged, and right now she is facing the dilemma of what to do with her life next.

My Boudi again won't go through this. Seeing her thriving on motherhood, job, marriage, I sometimes wish direly that my mother didn't stop working when I was born. She wouldn't have been caught in the crossroads of life then!