The Summer Vacations
A fortnight before the summer vacation was to commence, we stopped taking interest in our studies. Every one of us made ambitious plans to tour this or that place. But, ‘man proposes and God in his turn disposes of’. On the very first day of the vacation, my mother developed serious pains and she had to be admitted to the hospital. In the hospital, her condition worsened and it was decided by the doctors that she would be operated upon. It led to the cancellation of our annual trip to Nainital. The decision to cancel did not make me unhappy but my mother’s illness made me indifferent to the tour.
My mother was hospitalized the very next day. Worry was waiting large on my father’s face and tears rolled down my Cheek. Unfortunately, my mother’s condition worsened during the operation and it was certain that her recovery would now take a long time. I took the responsibility of preparing food for my family and, after giving it to everyone in the home, I would go to the hospital.
In the hospital screaming, wailing, and crying of patients made me sad. When I came back home, my younger sister would cry to go to see her mother. She refused to eat or drink. Our clothes were dirty and the house was unclean and in very bad order. Cooking was turning out to be a nightmare for me. The dishes were often spoiled. Many times, I burnt my hands. At this point in time, I came to realize the hard work my mother used to put in. I myself could not eat the food that I cooked. I could not talk my heart to anyone as my sister was too young to understand me and all my friends were away with their families enjoying their vacations.
The vacations were passing in the blink of an eyelid. Sometimes I used to think of the happiness of my friends and compare it with that of mine. My life had become a dull routine of going to the hospital and preparing food. It bored me a lot. All activities like reading books and watching television, which I had an interest in, were suspended for weeks. The days passed and the summer vacation came to an end. I was so bored that I never wished for vacations any longer. On the other hand, I thought that going to school was more interesting.
