“Amma, your son has sent money order.”, said postman to old lady sitting outside her house.
Seeing him, Amma’s eyes sparkled.
She said, “Son! Let me first talk to my son..!”
Amma was looking at him with hopeful eyes but postman tried to avoid it and said, “Amma, I don’t have so much time that I can call your son every time.”
Postman wanted to go but Amma started nagging him.
She said, “Son! It will take just a while.”
“Amma, don’t insist on making a call every time.” replied postman.
Saying this, postman started dialing a number on his mobile before handing money to Amma.
“Take it but don’t talk too much.”, postman said handing over his mobile to Amma.
Amma took mobile from his hand. After talking to her son on mobile for a minute, Amma was happy. A smile spread across her wrinkled face.
“It’s thousand rupees, Amma!” saying this, postman handed over ten hundred rupees notes towards her.
After counting money, Amma took out one hundred rupee note and giving it to postman, she said, “Keep this son.”
“Why Amma?”,asked postman.
Amma smiled and said, “Apart from giving this money order, you also let me talk to my son. it must cost money. Isn’t it? So keep it.”
Postman kept denying but Amma forcefully handed over hundred rupees to him and went inside after giving him lots of blessings.
Postman had just moved a few steps from there, when suddenly someone tapped on his shoulder.
When postman looked back, he saw that Ramu, who runs a mobile phone shop was standing infront of him.
“Brother, how are you here?”, asked postman.
“I came here to meet someone but I have something to ask you. Brother, why do you do this every month?” said Ramu to postman.
“What have I done?”, asked postman nervously.
Ramu said, “Every month you give money from your pocket to Amma. Not only that, you give me money to talk to her on phone as her son!! Why?”
Postman hesitated a bit after hearing Ramu question but then said, “I don’t give money to her. I give this money to my mother.”
Ramu was surprised to hear that.
Postman continued, “Her son went to far away place to earn money and used to send a order of thousand rupees to his mother every month but one day, instead of money order, a letter from a friend of his son came in Amma’s name.”
Ramu got curious and asked, “What kind of letter? What was written in that letter?”
“His son lost his life due to an infection. I didn’t dare to tell this to Amma who waits for few hundred rupees and hopes for her son’s well being. Therefore, i continued bringing her money order every month.” said postman
“But she is not your mother..”, said Ramu.
Postman replied, “I also used to send thousand rupees to my mother every month but she is no more.”, saying this eyes of postman were filled with tears.
Ramu who took money from her every month and used to talk to Amma as her son, was left speechless hearing this.