Life just doesn't stop amusing me with its cruel, satirical sense of humor. And more than life, I am amazed at my own naivety as I continue being "amused" with its cruel sense of humor. By now, it should stop taking me by surprise. But I guess I still have a long way to go before I know life and its silly sense of humor to a point where it becomes completely expected and predictable!!
Anyway, let's just get back to the point and stay there. My naivety or as I like to call it, my "foolish optimism" is another chapter altogether and I could write volumes on how this "foolishly optimistic" take on life has proved very costly to me and my near and dear ones.
A couple of days back, I was on the top of the world. I was about to be visited in a couple of days by my dear cousin and her little treasure, my niece. I had worked out her itinerary here in Dubai right up to the last detail, including where all I would take her and how many times we would leave my niece and my mom behind at home for some female bonding over a couple of drinks or maybe exhaustive shopping. And then we got the news! My cousin's sister in law, the sister in law's husband and their one year old baby had all been crushed to death in a gory road accident while returning from attending a wedding. I felt like the earth had been pulled away from beneath my feet.
This girl had got married the same year as I did. Luckily for her, she had an absolutely perfect marriage and was even blessed with a baby girl within a year. She was the apple of her parents' eyes and her elder brother, my cousin sister's husband, loved her to pieces. Her little daughter.....that angel was one of the cutest kids I've ever seen. And her husband I have been told was an excellent man. You know what's worst. She was just 28!!!! I still cannot believe she is the same girl whom I had met not so many years back at my sister's wedding. All I remember of her is that wide warm smile on her lips as she watched her brother and my brother celebrate one of the most significant days of their lives. And I cannot get that face or that perfect radiant smile out of my mind.
What had she done to deserve a fate so cruel? Her husband was not drunk driving. I don't think the guy was even speeding for chrissakes! Its just the cruelties of life! And what did that little child do? It had not even been a complete year since she had come into this world. If life wanted to take her away so soon, why even bother bringing her into this world. And you know the worst thing? In moments like these, no matter how much your heart aches, there is nothing you can say to those who grieve this loss. Its not like it was some 70-80 year old sick person for whom you can say "Well at least it was a life well lived" or a terminally ill patient for whom you can say "Finally she has been relieved of her pain". The fact is you cant say anything. Even if your heart bleeds, there is nothing you can say to those who grieve a demise so unfortunate and untimely!
The point is....why am I writing about this. Two reasons.
Firstly I had to vent it out somewhere. I can't get that girl or the memory of her out of my mind. And the more her face comes to my mind, the more pained I feel. Somewhere my mind refuses to accept she is the same person. I still feel this will all be declared a blunder and she will be back!
Secondly, I also want to highlight the important lesson this incident teaches me. If there is any truth in the world which is greater than the truth that there is a God, it is the fact that nothing in this life is permanent. Nothing. Whether good times or bad ones, they're all temporary. We can't afford to get into a psychological state of security or a comfort zone, because you never know when something of such devastating proportions happens to you. So don't forget to smile while you can. It may be the only thing left of you tomorrow.........
Finally, every time I read any article related to car accident deaths in the newspaper this day onward, it will affect me at a deeper level than it has in the past.
May your family and you rest in peace. Your smile will always be remembered!
