“Does she know?” I asked my aunt before entering
Grandma’s room today.
“No. We haven’t told her yet” she answered.
Grandma was sitting upright in her bed in a pale blue
nightgown. She was her usual peaceful self and prayed to the Virgin Mary for
our happiness.
She enquired, "In which class are you studying?"
I guessed that she meant to ask about my daughter and I
replied accordingly.
Grandma will be 101 next month. Apart from loss of vision, she doesn’t suffer from
any illnesses.
Her eldest son, whom we fondly called Jambulya Kaka, however, passed
away recently after a cardiac attack.
Nobody expected that he would die so soon. After his
retirement from service, he healed people with ayurvedic medicine and did not
charge any fees. We had heard reports in Muscat about Jambulya Kaka’s
miraculous medicine.
At his funeral and at condolence gatherings last week,
people murmured.
“So sad. His mother is still good at 101 and he had to
go before her.”
“What a shame! Auntie Stella is not in her senses anymore
after the brain stroke. Yet, she has survived for months.”
“Why him? Catherine Maushi is bedridden at 90. She is
ready to go.”
During the prayer meeting at Jambulya Kaka’s house, a
passage from the Bible was read. Then his daughter read out a brief note about
the chronological milestones in her father’s life.
Lastly, we all said the Lord’s prayer.
A few words in this powerful prayer answered some
questions.
“Our father, who are in heaven,...Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven...”
