Fiction & Nonfiction

A Deserving Shower

A Deserving Shower

After her husband died in a road accident, Virginia did her best in raising her ten-year-old daughter Mandy, single-handed.
She was distraught when she found that Frank left them almost penniless. Once the initial shock wore off, the first thing she did was to shift to a house at a lower rent. Then she sold their car, the computer and the micro oven. With a kind neighbor’s help, she found a job in nearby supermarket that was at a walkable distance.

Virginia wanted her only daughter to get the best education possible. It mattered to her because she realized its importance in living an economically independent life. Her own lack of an academic degree inspired her further. She saw to it that Mandy continued going to the school Frank picked for her.
Things fell to an assuring routine with the future looking not so bleak.

Virginia usually started her day early, due to her work schedule.. She would leave by six in the morning. Mandy too would get up with her mom, wash and change so they could breakfast together. Her mother would leave first and a little later, Mandy’s school bus picked her up.. By three in the afternoon she would return, let her self in and freshen up. After eating the snack her mom left on the table, Mandy played with the neighbor’s dog, Bowka, for a while and then did her homework. Once her mother returned in the evening, they had plenty to talk about their day. Mandy would sit with a cup of chocolate milk while her mom fixed dinner. After dinner, sometimes, a neighbor dropped by to say hello or they would go for a short walk to the nearby John Howard Park. They either played chess or watched TV before going to bed.

On that particular day, Virginia was an hour earlier than usual to the supermarket. While she was sorting out vegetables and fruits, arranging them in their allotted slots, she heard someone entering the floor but didn't bother to look up to check who it was.

“Hi there, you are an early bird,” said a deep baritone that belonged to the floor manager.
“Oh, hello, Max. I need my afternoon off today. So I thought I would start my work a little earlier. I have a parent-teacher meeting at Mandy’s school,” said Virginia, her eyes shining with pride as she recalled the teacher’s appreciation of her daughter’s performance in studies and extra-curricular activities.

“Oh yes, I believe she’s selected for the mentally gifted minors group. My boy’s in the same grade, though not so intelligent,” observed Max, who looked happy at sharing the news.

Virginia knew her daughter was highly intelligent. She was surprised when Mandy was able to add, subtract and multiply even as a tender six-year-old. She also watched her draw appealing pictures of people, parks and animals she’d seen at the Zoo. Her vocabulary surprised Virginia’s friends besides Miss. Mailman, Mandy’s teacher. Recently, she stood first in the junior swimming competitions.
“I am happy that the school authorities do not charge her tuition fee. I believe they take this special group on trips to interesting places by flight. This, they assume would help these precocious kids widen their mental horizons, and in turn, help them build a sound future as well,” said Max to an intently listening Virginia.

A few fast years later,
Mandy blossomed into a beautiful woman. Her light brown, shoulder length hair shone with tawny streaks. Her fair complexion radiated health and she carried no extra weight. She walked tall and confident at five feet five inches.
She found a job in a reputed computer firm after successfully completing her master’s in Computer Applications.
The mother-daughter duo shifted to a house with a wide yard and a beautiful garden. Mandy persuaded her mom to give up her job soon after her own appointment. There was a new Toyota in the drive way, and the appliances were in place. She talked Virginia into rediscovering her painting ambition and becoming a member of a welfare society. Virginia was happy at the good turn life took and she couldn't thank God enough for His shower of blessings on them.

That afternoon, Mandy was to participate in a swimming competition. If she won, she would qualify for national championship.
Virginia drove her to the venue.
“Keep your cool. Concentrate. Don’t get into panic if someone overtakes you. Work steadily.”  Virginia’s assured voice reflected years of control and balance.
“Sure mom, thank you for everything,” smiled a confident Mandy.

It was a memorable afternoon for the mother and daughter.
Mandy stood first in the event, thus qualifying for a higher race. Many of her colleagues were cheering as she took the trophy from the contest hosts. They also sprung the up the happy news that Mandy was selected as a supervisor at Qatar’s Computing Research Institute situated in the capital, Doha. Mandy was jubilant that the interview she had a few months before, was a success.

She was to leave for Doha in a week’s time. Virginia couldn’t help being depressed at the thought of living alone, with Mandy continents away. Would she be able to live all by herself after years of being with her daughter? It was Mandy who helped her retain sanity after Frank’s sudden death. It was she who gave her enough reason to hang on to a life that almost fell apart. Could she grapple with the empty nest syndrome?

On the night before Mandy’s departure, Virginia cooked a special dinner for her daughter. The phone started ringing as she took the apple pie out from the oven.
“Mom, is it ok if I bring a guest along?”
“You can sweetie, who’s it?”
“Wait and see mom,” Virginia could hear a smile in Mandy’s voice.

At seven sharp in the evening, the door bell rang. Covering up her sadness under a smile, Virginia opened the door.
Her welcoming words stilled as a shower of joy hit her.

“Oh! Max! What a wonderful surprise! How are you doing?”
Smiling affectionately at her, Max said, “Hi there Virginia! You look good. After I retired I went to live with my son. Steve is a mechanical engineer on one of Bahrain’s oil rigs. It was fun for a while. But for the last few months I started missing home. So here I am back in the fold.”
“Mom, Bahrain is very close to Doha. Now that Steve is there, you need not worry too much about my safety,” said Mandy happily.
Virginia sighed in relief knowing they were classmates and friends through school.
“That’s right. Steve would be happy to know that Mandy’s found a job near to him,” added Max, cheerfully.

Virginia heard that Max was a widower back when they worked alongside. Once he retired, they lost touch with each other. He told them over dinner that he bought a house just a block away from theirs.

Somehow the night turned out to be not so bad after all. Virginia no longer felt as depressed as before. It could be because of Steve or Max.

Outside, a light rain started falling marking the end of a hot summer. The smell of rain-cooled earth turned the climate delicious. So is my life, thought Virginia, sending silent thanks to God for His shower of kindness and joy on them all.


Word Count:1218