Believed it

I clutched the corners of my mom’s sari and furiously chewed on my fingernails, gnawing at my flesh now and then. I had an urge to get back home, to hide inside the warm safety of my cotton quilt. Embarrassed though I was, I edged closer to my mom. We sat in eerie silence in the dim lit room, lost in its peculiar reddish glow. I stared at the low hanging bulbs and the strange patterns they made on the walls. The strange sweet-sick aroma filled me with uneasiness. This was a new world, a world that unnerved me –this was the world of the ace of astrology, Eliza Mendoza.

We had been waiting for more than forty minutes and I couldn’t bear the silence any longer. Confused as I was, I opened my mouth to ask my mom what exactly we were doing in this phony setup. Immediately she shushed me with her stern no-nonsense,
no-questions look. I looked away and started sulking when an attendant (dressed like a messenger of God) announced that “Maa” is expecting us.

My mom hurriedly walked inside the beautifully adorned wooden door. I followed reluctantly behind. After all, astrology was just as credible as the WWF.

As soon as we entered, the attendant shut the door behind us. So, this was Eliza Mendoza. God! What a presence! The woman was distinctly built and her nativity was difficult to decipher. She was so simple, yet so imposing. I suddenly lost the uncanny emotions that had crept up inside me, in the waiting room. Now I was filled with peace, tranquility…total serenity…. haaaaaaah.

‘Maa’ and mom had a ceremonial discussion about my birth, the stars, the sky and the airs, while I slowly swallowed the elements around her. I was suddenly interrupted when I heard mom asking her about which group I should be taking in my class eleven and twelve. I was shocked beyond words! Did we come all the way for such a simple affair? Such a big woman being traumatized with such juvenile issues! I went hot with embarrassment. I was preparing myself to get rudely thrown out soon. But to my utter surprise ‘Maa’ turned towards me and said, “ You want to be a gynecologist don’t you?” My lips parted in astonishment. I nodded, wide-eyed, like an astonished kinder garden kid. Her words came out in measured succession - “When you were ten, you wanted to be a pilot. When you were twelve you wanted to be a beautician. But now, at fifteen you have matured enough to know what you want. I see your future filled with babies. I see you bringing joy to families, I see you saving lives. You are a child of the biological sciences. You belong to the organic segment of life”. She turned elegantly to my mom and said, “ Now, is your questioned answered?”

I was awe-struck. This world did exist… for sure. A world that studies people – scientifically, supernaturally, mysteriously (I didn’t know how. I just knew it did. It was a flash of a realization. It was an experience).
We paid the heavy fee and turned to go, feeling as light and free as birds. I looked at ‘Maa’s” face. She didn’t smile, but still looked warm, tender and loving. This very look I knew, will bring me back to this world of beautiful obscurity, beautiful truth.