Janki lost her mother at a very young age, which left her father depressed. He handed the infant to her mother’s parents, and they took care of Janki. She had modest birthday celebrations at home. As life went on, she had to pursue her education and career away from her hometown. It was never easy, but she learned to be independent.
She started working and soon found her soulmate, Jatin. Life was a mix of ups and downs. Jatin, once a happy guy, gradually became serious and focused more on work. He never wanted a child, but Janki always wished to be a mom. Among other minor disagreements, Janki was the one who had to sacrifice and adjust most of the time. She was expected to do so.
Her grandpa was diagnosed with a serious illness and had only months to live. Janki was heartbroken as her grandpa was the person she loved the most. She started visiting him more often. She saw him struggling with illness. Grandpa, who loved to eat different foods, slowly began eating less. He became wearier and leaner. He used to communicate his ideas clearly, but his speech became unclear. He was soon hospitalized. Janki heard this and rushed to the hospital. Her grandpa grabbed her hand and held it tight with all the energy he had. She could only console him by saying that he would recover soon and could go home. He just nodded his head in agreement. He tried to say something to her but couldn't express it clearly. He even tried to write but couldn't. Her grandpa breathed his last the next day right in front of most of the family members. He missed his grandson’s presence.
Two hours after he had passed, it began raining heavily. Janki felt it as a sign of her grandpa consoling them not to cry and that he was happy and safe with God.
Few months had passed. Janki and her grandma never recovered from the loss. Janki began to visit her grandma frequently. However, her grandma suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized. Before Janki could even process what was happening, her grandma had a heart attack! Doctors tried to revive her, but a part of her brain was already gone. Janki had to go through the agony all over again. Her grandma also passed away within a span of a few days.
Janki even began doubting if there was a God and why he was being so unfair to her. Her entire world had shattered. She lost the two souls who had made her life beautiful. Jatin was busy as usual and said a few words that were meant to console her. Janki never felt the words were consoling her. Even her bestie, Mira, asked her to cry and let out all her sorrow, but she had very few tears. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces; no one could ever see.
As time passed, she thought of how her grandpa would guide her when she was confused. She would share her worries or happiness with her grandma, who supported her decisions. Now that both were gone, she had that emptiness in her life. Jatin was allergic to pet hair. Janki had no kids and pets. She found solace in gardening.
Slowly, she realized a fact.
“You are always alone. You should make decisions in various situations, whether right or wrong, and bear the consequences. Never expect anything from anyone. Mind your own business and never do everything for everyone. Learn to say ‘NO’ as required. If you follow these tips, life could be peaceful.”
