
A liar at times
Rumita Deb

Like all mothers, I too have a mother who prioritizes my happiness, my troubles, and my worries over everything in her life.
She toils from the wee morning hours to late nights.
And when I ask her....Ma aren't you tired?
She nods her head side’s ways replying in the negative. A lie it is, but with a flash of smile she does it all, putting aside all her weariness and fatigue only to put me at ease.
At dinner, she spreads the platter serving a lion’s share in my dish...
And when I ask her, why only the little portion for herself, her lips loose no time in replying, "Dear, I am full to the brim." It’s in fact another lie to feed me in oodles.
Festivities come and go; she spends her savings in buying the best robes possible for the apple of her eye...
And when I ask her, "Ma won't you buy anything for yourself?" Another prompt lie pours in - "I have too many for my cupboard to hold."