Shalini kept track of the time, even as she sorted through her messages and logged in for meetings, checking off the items on her schedule. Her most important afternoon appointment wasn’t marked on her calendar, and it required no reminder. It was a recurring appointment, happening every day at the same time.
It had become second nature for Shalini to deal with issues happening at home, even when she was traveling for work.
Her husband, Raj, was the parent who stayed at home. He was conscientious about following the routine he had set out for the children, but management of the household fell to Shalini, regardless of where she might be during the week. She had grown accustomed to the continuous flow of demands, and expected the frequent interruptions at work.
The call that came through daily at 3pm differed from the other calls she might receive from home.
While she anticipated the buzz of her phone as the time approached, she did not exactly look forward to the call, it unsettled her, though she would worry more if it didn’t come through.
Just as it did every afternoon, right on schedule, her phone buzzed.
Shalini picked up the call, listening attentively to the person on the other end, asking a few questions in her turn. Her polite tone changed when her father came on the line.
“I’m here,” he said, sounding flustered, “I’m here. I’m here in Pittsburgh.”
“You’re all right,” Shalini said, not correcting him.
“You have to come get me,” her father insisted. His voice sounded strained. “I’m here in Pittsburgh. I’m lost. I don’t know where to go. I don’t know how to get home.”
“You’re all right,” Shalini said again. She paused and stated evenly, “You’re home.”
Her father accepted the reassurance embodied in her words, as he did every afternoon. Shalini wondered sometimes why his mind chose to be lost in Pittsburgh. She did not think he had ever visited that city in his previous life. No matter, her voice was the one thing that helped her father return, when he was unsure how to get back on his own. The staff at the facility might talk to him, her brother might try to convince him, but he would not believe he was home until he heard his daughter’s voice.
Shalini expected that her father would lose himself again the next day. She did not like to think about him feeling lost, uncertain where to go, still she hoped he would call.
Until next time.
Heartbreaking.
I just returned to read it, again. It is, indeed, a masterpiece. Every time I find something new that holds my attention and makes me think. Now it's " she did not exactly look forward to the call, it unsettled her, though she would worry more if it didn’t come through"
How perfectly you caught the feeling when one thing hurts but the lack of it hurts even more.