Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Rain From my Eyes


A soft music tuned the whole room. It was the favorite song of Mom and dad “nothing gonna change my love for you”.  Ashley was playing the piano as insisted by Dad.  Ashley turned 27 and it was her birthday today 25th June. Mom and dad had planned a surprise for her which she was eagerly waiting for. It was the start of monsoon and the climate had turned hazy, cold breeze was running through the window. Clouds covered the bright sun and the town seemed protected under the blanket.  The wind chimp was making a low soft tune of her with the rush of wind. It was 4:00 pm but town was already dark. Mom went inside the kitchen to make coffee. Dad was too weak to do anything and was resting over the rocking chair listening to music. It was dad who thought Ashley play piano when she was nine years old. He thought her by holding her hands, knowing the keys, the sound, and the vibrations. He feels proud that he is a dad of one of the national award winner daughter in piano. He looked at the picture of Ashley holding the trophy over the shelf and smiled. He had tears in his eyes. Mom came in with coffee and kept it over the tee poi and she noticed dad’s eyes filled with tears, she did not speak anything and held his hand and nodded her head saying no.

Ashley was unmarried and this makes dad cry. Whenever they talked about her marriage she refused and always told them that she doesn't want to get married. She is indeed beautiful, charming, talented, and now popular too, but Ashley never knew her own beauty. Ashley stopped playing the piano and called out mom to ask her what is dad thinking. Dad wiped his tears with his sleeves. Mom went near her with the cup of coffee, she kept her hands over her shoulder and said, 

“He is enjoying your music and he is happy for you”
“Tell me something new mom” 
Mom handovers the cup to her-
“This is your coffee, Ashley”
Ashley held her hand, kissed it and said, 
“tell dad not to shed his precious tears or I will stop playing the piano”
Mom looked at dad with lump in her throat. She pats Ashley’s shoulder and went away. 
“The wind is cool and its perfect time to sip a coffee.” Mom said resting on the sofa.
Ashley stood up and heads towards the window; Mom stoop up in hurry to help her but dad stopped her. Ashley felt the cold gentle wind, her hair blew backward. She closed her eyes and sensed the fresh green grass from her garden. She could hear the noise of the swing which was moving on its own due to gust of air, the hushing trees leaves. It was soon to rain.
“What’s wrong Ashley?” Mom asked,
“Mom I want to play in the rain, can I?” asked Ashley
“What a great thought, we all will play when it rains, but before that let me bring the cake for you” Ashley laughed, “I am no more a kid mom”
“so what? Don’t me and your dad still cut cake during our birthday which you bring for us, is that we still younger then you” mom laughed. 

Mom lighted the candles, and Ashley blew off the candles, they sang the birthday song for her. Ashley cut the cake and gave a bite to her dad and hugged him. Dad wished her happy birthday and kissed her on forehead. Mom gave the bite of cake to Ashley and wished her for her 27th birthday and whispered in her ears “we have one surprise for you.” Mom went inside the bedroom to bring her gift. The thunder started in the sky with few dewdrops wetting the soil. The earth gave up its lovely whiff. The earth got fresh with the excitement of the sky to shed its rain. 
“It’s raining Ashley” Dad said in thrill.
Ashley wanted to go outside and play with the drops of rain. She told dad to come outside and accompany her. Dad got up and held Ashley’s hand and stepped outside the door. Dad loosened her hand and told her to go ahead and enjoy the rain; he stood just outside the door getting wet. Meanwhile Mom came out with the gift and saw them outside enjoying in the rain. Mom called out Ashley for her gift, but she was lost with the rain. 
“Mom it’s raining and the water is so cold” she exclaimed.
Mom laughed and kept looking at Ashley playing in the rain as if she got everything in her life she needed. She stepped down from house keeping the gift over the table and stood beside dad and watched Ashley. 

Ashley ran here and there in the garden enjoying to her full heart. Seeing her, surrounding neighbours joined her too. Small children and parents came out to play in the garden. Soon Mom and dad saw the whole of the colony into their backyard garden playing in the rain. Some children insisted Ashley’s parents to come and play with them in the rain. Mom held Ashley hands and danced. Dad too was shaking his hip and his lifeless legs with one small boy. Ashley looked up and let the dewdrops touch her cornea. The rainwater ran through her forehead touching her eyelashes, to her pink soft lips and to the chin and plummeted to the ground. She thought god is so thankful to her for giving such a great parent and gifting her rain on her birthday.

It was 6:30 in the evening. Ashley took her bath and sat over the bed and was lost in her thoughts about the day. Drying her hair with the towel she thought about the fun she had in the rain with those small children. In a while, Mom entered the room and took the towel from her hand and helped dry her hair. Dad came in too and sat beside her. Mom slides the gift from the back and gave it to Ashley. Ashley in her excitement opened the gift. She touched the surface, sensing, and creating the image of it in her mind. 

“It’s a CD I guess” thought Ashley,

“Yes it is” said dad “but would  you like to know which CD is this?”
“oh yes yes!” exclaimed Ashley,
“well here you go…” Dad inserted the CD into the Audio Player.
A soft music started to play which Ashley could slowly recognize. Soon the music started to take its pace and there she could know it was the CD Album of Martha Argerich- the International Chopin Piano winner Pianist. She was so thrilled to hear that, she hugged mom and dad for this surprise.

Ashley lost her vision at the age of six in a car accident when they were travelling to go to a wedding and her dad happened to lose the vision due to the bright light of truck coming from front and dashed the divider of road. They always regretted this; however, Ashley never blamed them for her condition, she was indeed happy to get such lovely parent who took care of her. 

“You are the best mom dad in this world, I love you.” Ashley said.

At Twilight, it was dark at Ashley’s room but she hadn't slept yet. She was on her bed sitting and reading the Bible which she always does before sleeping. She read it not through her eyes but through her fingers. She does not need light to read it. The light is inside her the light of hope. She could listen to the sound of rain from the side window, which made her smile. She recollects the rain that flowed from her forehead touching her cornea of eyes, it was indeed the most beautiful experience, which she says to us “The rain from my eyes.”
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