A soft music tuned the whole room. It was the favorite song of Mom and
dad “nothing gonna change my love for
you”. Ashley was playing the piano
as insisted by Dad. Ashley turned 27 and it was her birthday today 25th June.
Mom and dad had planned a surprise for her which she was eagerly waiting for. It was
the start of monsoon and the climate had turned hazy, cold breeze was running
through the window. Clouds covered the bright sun and the town seemed
protected under the blanket. The wind chimp was making a low soft tune of
her with the rush of wind. It was 4:00 pm but town was already dark. Mom went
inside the kitchen to make coffee. Dad was too weak to do anything and was
resting over the rocking chair listening to music. It was dad who thought Ashley
play piano when she was nine years old. He thought her by holding her hands,
knowing the keys, the sound, and the vibrations. He feels proud that he is a
dad of one of the national award winner daughter in piano. He looked at the picture
of Ashley holding the trophy over the shelf and smiled. He had tears in his
eyes. Mom came in with coffee and kept it over the tee poi and she noticed dad’s
eyes filled with tears, she did not speak anything and held his hand and nodded
her head saying no.
Ashley was unmarried and this makes dad cry. Whenever they talked about her marriage
she refused and always told them that she doesn't want to get married. She is
indeed beautiful, charming, talented, and now popular too, but Ashley never
knew her own beauty. Ashley stopped playing the piano and called out mom to ask
her what is dad thinking. Dad wiped his tears with his sleeves. Mom went near her
with the cup of coffee, she kept her hands over her shoulder and said,
“He is enjoying your music and he is happy for you”
“Tell me something new mom”
Mom handovers the cup to her-
“This is your coffee, Ashley”
Ashley held her hand, kissed it and said,
“tell dad not to shed his precious tears or I will stop playing the piano”
Mom looked at dad with lump in her throat. She pats Ashley’s shoulder and went
away.
“The wind is cool and its perfect time to sip a coffee.” Mom said resting on
the sofa.
Ashley stood up and heads towards the window; Mom stoop up in hurry to help her
but dad stopped her. Ashley felt the cold gentle wind, her hair blew backward.
She closed her eyes and sensed the fresh green grass from her garden. She could
hear the noise of the swing which was moving on its own due to gust of air, the
hushing trees leaves. It was soon to rain.
“What’s wrong Ashley?” Mom asked,
“Mom I want to play in the rain, can I?” asked Ashley
“What a great thought, we all will play when it rains, but before that let me
bring the cake for you” Ashley laughed, “I am no more a kid mom”
“so what? Don’t me and your dad still cut cake during our birthday which you
bring for us, is that we still younger then you” mom laughed.
Mom lighted the candles, and Ashley blew off the candles, they sang the
birthday song for her. Ashley cut the cake and gave a bite to her dad and hugged
him. Dad wished her happy birthday and kissed her on forehead. Mom gave the
bite of cake to Ashley and wished her for her 27th birthday
and whispered in her ears “we have one surprise for you.” Mom went inside the
bedroom to bring her gift. The thunder started in the sky with few
dewdrops wetting the soil. The earth gave up its lovely whiff. The earth got
fresh with the excitement of the sky to shed its rain.
“It’s raining Ashley” Dad said in thrill.
Ashley wanted to go outside and play with the drops of rain. She told dad to
come outside and accompany her. Dad got up and held Ashley’s hand and stepped outside the door. Dad loosened her hand and told her to go ahead and enjoy the rain;
he stood just outside the door getting wet. Meanwhile Mom came out with the
gift and saw them outside enjoying in the rain. Mom called out Ashley for her
gift, but she was lost with the rain.
“Mom it’s raining and the water is so cold” she exclaimed.
Mom laughed and kept looking at Ashley playing in the rain as if she got
everything in her life she needed. She stepped down from house keeping the gift
over the table and stood beside dad and watched Ashley.
Ashley ran here and there in the garden enjoying to her full heart. Seeing her,
surrounding neighbours joined her too. Small children and parents came out to
play in the garden. Soon Mom and dad saw the whole of the colony into their
backyard garden playing in the rain. Some children insisted Ashley’s parents to
come and play with them in the rain. Mom held Ashley hands and danced. Dad too
was shaking his hip and his lifeless legs with one small boy. Ashley looked up
and let the dewdrops touch her cornea. The rainwater ran through her forehead
touching her eyelashes, to her pink soft lips and to the chin and plummeted to
the ground. She thought god is so thankful to her for giving such a great
parent and gifting her rain on her birthday.
It was 6:30 in the evening. Ashley took her bath and
sat over the bed and was lost in her thoughts about the day. Drying her hair
with the towel she thought about the fun she had in the rain with those small
children. In a while, Mom entered the room and took the towel from her hand and
helped dry her hair. Dad came in too and sat beside her. Mom slides the gift
from the back and gave it to Ashley. Ashley in her excitement opened the gift.
She touched the surface, sensing, and creating the image of it in her mind.
“It’s a CD I guess” thought Ashley,
“Yes it is” said dad “but would you like
to know which CD is this?”
“oh yes yes!” exclaimed Ashley,
“well here you go…” Dad inserted the CD into the Audio Player.
A soft music started to play which Ashley could slowly recognize. Soon the
music started to take its pace and there she could know it was the CD Album of
Martha Argerich- the International Chopin Piano winner Pianist. She was so
thrilled to hear that, she hugged mom and dad for this surprise.
Ashley lost her vision at the age of six in a car accident when they were
travelling to go to a wedding and her dad happened to lose the vision due to
the bright light of truck coming from front and dashed the divider of road.
They always regretted this; however, Ashley never blamed them for her
condition, she was indeed happy to get such lovely parent who took care of her.
“You are the best mom dad in this world, I love you.” Ashley said.
At Twilight, it was dark at Ashley’s room but she hadn't slept yet. She was on
her bed sitting and reading the Bible which she always does before sleeping. She
read it not through her eyes but through her fingers. She does not need light
to read it. The light is inside her the light of hope. She could listen
to the sound of rain from the side window, which made her smile. She recollects
the rain that flowed from her forehead touching her cornea of eyes, it was
indeed the most beautiful experience, which she says to us “The rain from my
eyes.”
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