Did you ever look back?

I stared at the blinking red light as it passed off.

"Mom, when am I coming back?", asked my 12 year old champ.

"It's just 6 months, beta. You'll meet new friends, new people and they'll all be so much happy to see you.", I replied with a cheerful smile.

"Mama, what if they are not like and hate me. Bully me and snatch my tiffin. I'm just too like chota bheem".

I smiled. Holding champ close to me, made him sleep on my lap. He loved dosing off on my lap.

"Champ, whenever you're at new place you'll meet people who would not be like you. Hate you, annoy you and will try to suppress you but have you ever seen a star shining amidst all the darkness? Does it care about how dark or bright the surrounding is?"

"It just shines bright.", His face lit up while he said this.

"You'll also shine so bright someday. Brighter than anyone of them. And when you do, they'll all be the darkness."

"Stars fall down, mama. ", replied my champ.

"The place you're going to will teach you how to rise. But always remember everytime you fall, don't just fall down and sit. Stand up and shine. All of us fall but only a few can stand up and shine."

"Mom, I want to be a writer. Will i be one I be one?"

"Yes champ you will be one soon enough. You are the best",   I smiled and kissed him. He smiled back and slept.

Champ was always the active one. He would just come from his school. Make me and his dad sit together and tell us stories about how dinosaur attacked his school and he saved everyone. We would laugh at his stories but we never asked him to stop and told him that were stories were vague.

"I won't be able to have the aloo parathas you've made right? Who'll make them for me?", He said looking into my eyes.

I smiled wiping my tears

"Riverview international school." was written on a huge board above us. The school was situated near a hill.

I looked at him and he was sad.

He walked around the campus and was really happy. Hill stations were his favourite.

"Be a good boy and bid bye to your parents.", Warden said being cheerful.

"Can't mom get a room next to mine?", He was about to cry. I could sense it.

"Remember what i told you about stars?",I bent down to tie his shoelaces.

"Mama please stay.", He cried.

"You'll shine. I trust you and I'll never stop trusting.", I said, pulling his cheeks.

It's difficult to walk away. It's even more difficult, when you know you're never going to see him grow, make him aloo paratha and play with his hair when he's lying on your laps. It's difficult to walk away from someone you've loved unconditionally. All these thoughts crossed my mind while the warden took him away.

Maybe I'll see him after 6 months. Maybe he'll break down after not being able to see me after 6 months. Maybe he won't be able to be strong. Maybe he'll breakdown.

******************************

14 years later.

"So what made you strong?", The interviewer asked me. During the press conference day infront of a whole crowd who were waiting to know about it.

"My Mama. She always told me to shine bright no matter what happens. I was always a naughty kid. Told my mom stories about how evil creatures attacked our school and I saved everyone. Each day, I would tell her an random story and she would just smile and listen to it. She never asked me to stop.

She believed that we all fail at some point but standing up matters. Her aloo parathas were my strength.",I said being cheerful.

My mom died exactly after 3 months of leaving me at the hostel. She wanted me to remember her strengths and not see the bad side of it. She was having luekemia. A disease that takes over the strongest soul.

I would often call her and ask her just one thing. About why didn't she ever look back. I would hate her for this. Curse her.

When i came home, there was just one photo of her with mine. And below the photo was written-

" I'm sorry to leave you midway. You would always ask me about didn't I ever look back, right?

I didn't because I wanted you to look after yourself and be the best.

Remember what I told you about stars.? :) "