THE FAMILY PHOTO

            Mallika is an enthusiastic retired professor, an excellent cook, and a wonderful wife. Her passion for teaching and love for cooking never ceased, despite turning 65 today. She engaged herself in the morning with teaching Math for Class X - CBSE on The Unacademy app. She made it possible with the help of her smart husband. Chandran looks old and feeble but is a dynamo. He is a geeky old man with immense knowledge of technology. While Chandran spends a major portion of the day surfing the internet and learning new things, Mallika, on the other hand, spends the rest of her day in the kitchen by trying out new dishes which she had learned from Youtube. Her wrinkled face would glow with pride whenever her husband appreciated her cooking skills. Mallika was busy brewing coffee for her husband, who has the habit of drinking it whilst reading the newspaper through his thick glasses. Mallika was behind her schedule today. So she informed him to fetch his coffee from the kitchen and rushed to bedroom No: 2 (a bedroom converted into a classroom). When she finally emerged from No: 2 after an hour, she found that the coffee had turned cold. 

“What made you forget your morning coffee, dear? she asked. 

"An article about the new PlayStation kept me on hold," he answered. 

In their 3BHK apartment, No: 3 was converted into a gaming room cum movie theater for Chandran, with the help of their second son, Karan. Chandran hated afternoon naps and so he played PS with his gang of old friends and sometimes with the neighborhood kids until evening. Evenings were meant for taking Mallika along with him for a walk in the park. Chandran is a movie buff, he watches at least a movie a day, especially at night.

"Do you know what day it is?" Mallika asked whilst drinking her cup of coffee. 

Chandran peeked at the calendar beside the clock and answered, "Ah! How can I forget about our monthly health check-up with Dr. Ganapathy?"

Soon the couple got ready and took a cab to the hospital. Ilayaraja received his guests with his soulful melodies. It rejuvenated them and elated their mood.

"Shall we go to the Phoenix Mall after our checkup?" she suggested whilst listening.

"Why?"

"Akhil's birthday is coming in a fortnight. We need to get him a gift, don’t we?"

"Oh yes!" He recalled his grandson's birthday and agreed to her shopping plan. 

In no time, they reached the hospital and were waiting in the lounge. Completing all the formal procedures at the hospital, they were finally inside Dr. Ganapathy's cabin. After examining the reports for a few minutes Dr. Ganapathy spoke with intensity, "Compared to the previous month, there's an increase in your blood sugar levels, Mr. Chandran." 

Upon hearing it, Chandran's facial expression took a U-turn which infected Mallika’s too. On noticing the sudden change in their facial expression the doctor continued, "Don’t worry Mr. Chandran. These are quite common for people of your age. I shall prescribe a few more tablets. Do take it along with your routine tablets. We shall expect a change next time." They thanked him and left his cabin after taking a serious note of his advice.

Though the positive words from the doctor created an impact on the couple, Chandran's worry was still vividly visible on his face. Mallika noticed it and suggested to him, "Shall we return home?"

"What about your shopping plan?" 

"I prefer being with my sad husband to go shopping," she replied. To which, he chuckled and feigned a smile on his wrinkled face.

As Phoenix was nearby, they took an auto to reach there. Throughout the ride, Mallika held Chandran’s tender hand firmly. The mall stood humongous and spread across acres with a bustling crowd all the time. Awestruck with its construction, Mallika decided to go window shopping before purchasing. During their window shopping, Chandran’s phone was ringing continuously to which he paid no heed. Chandran left Mallika at the Lifestyle and excused himself to take the phone call. When he returned after half an hour, Mallika was at the cash counter. Upon completing their shopping, the couple retired for lunch at the food court. 

Whilst having their lunch, Mallika tried to strike a conversation with Chandran.

"Do you remember the last time we came here?” 

Chandran pondered for a few minutes and answered, "Almost a year ago, we came here to watch a movie with Siddharth, Shreya, and Akhil, right?"

"Yes!” she said with excitement and added, “I wish they were here." 

Out of the blue, Chandran caught the idea of going for a movie. He asked her whether she would join him for a movie. She replied positively. Since all the shows were booked, they were left only with the option of "The Angry Birds 2". Seated at the Jazz Cinemas, they laughed out loud at times and enjoyed the movie thoroughly. When the movie ended, Mallika told Chandran that Akhil would love this movie.

By the time the movie got over, it was half-past six. Mallika suggested they return home but Chandran had other ideas. He booked a cab which took them to their next destination. Mallika had no clue as to where they were going. The cab cruised to the outskirts of the city and finally stopped at "The Skybox" in OMR. Upon reaching the restaurant, a staff received them with a bouquet and escorted them to the rooftop table reserved for them. Seated at the table, Mallika was silently observing and admiring the plush ambiance of the place. She found that the table was neatly covered with white silk cloth and an assortment of cutleries were found on either side of the plate. The dining table was well-lit with a lamp ball placed at the center. The constantly blowing sea breeze and the serenity of the place were such a delight.

“Do you like it?” Chandran asked, breaking the long silence.

“I just love it!” Mallika exclaimed.

“Not every day Mrs. Mallika Chandran turns 65, right?”

“Haha, yes!”

“Do you remember the last time we went on a date for dinner?”

“I don’t remember.” 

“That’s exactly the reason why I took you here. I wanted to make it a special day for you. I didn’t want you to spend your birthday inside the 3BHK apartment. So, I crafted this plan a week ago and executed it today,” he said.

“Thank you so much, dear. I’m so overwhelmed.”  

Throughout their dinner, they romanced like a young couple and gossiped like friends. They spent quality time with each other without any hindrance. It was half-past nine when they finally left the place after a scrumptious dinner.

Whilst returning home on a cab Mallika said, “I had a great time with you almost after a decade or two. This day means a lot to me. Thank you for making it special.” She also added, “I think Karan should consider getting married at least this year.”

"No, dear. We should never force education, career, and marriage on children because it may backfire on them at any point in time. As a parent, we have to give them a good education, guide them while choosing a career and accept the life partner they chose to live with for the rest of their life. It is their life and not ours. Let them make their own decision and be responsible for it." Chandran said.

When they returned home, they never knew that a surprise was waiting for them.

“Surprise!” screamed all the voices present in the living room in unison, when the lights turned on.

The couple was flabbergasted to find their two sons present in the living room with their family. A young girl from No: 2 emerged with a cake which read: “Happy Birthday Mrs. Mallika Chandran”. It was then Karan introduced the young girl as “Keerthi”, the love of his life, to his parents. With a group photograph of all the members of Mrs. Mallika Chandran’s family, the day ended.

The persistent knock at the door was disturbing Mallika because it brought her to the present. She then realized that she was revisiting the events of her last birthday through the family photo taken on that day. She placed the photo on the bed and went to open the door. She found out that Keerthi, her second daughter-in-law, was standing at the door with a glass of warm milk for her. As she handed over the milk glass to her, her eyes caught the attention of the family photo lying on the bed. She noticed her mother-in-law’s sullen face and tried to placate her.

“Everything will be alright, Mom. We are there for you. Don’t worry about anything. Now, have your glass of milk and go to sleep without overthinking.” 

“Okay, beta,” she replied and drank the milk.

Once Keerthi left, Mallika fetched the photo from the bed and glimpsed it. On seeing her husband’s flawless smile, tears brimmed in her eyes. Mallika recently lost her husband due to COVID-19. She hugged the photo as tightly as she could and tucked onto the bed to sleep. Not only sleep but also tears eluded her eyes when she thought about Mr. Chandran.