Closing the journal, I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. The next day was a Saturday; I could work on my resignation letter. But first, I would go to the market in the morning and buy Maa a bunch of flowers to celebrate my new job. I closed my eyes, allowing thoughts of a perfect home to fill my mind; a place where Maa could grow old, happy and surrounded by grandchildren. Sleep enveloped me.

On Saturday morning, I got up early, knowing that Maa would sleep in after the previous morning’s early start. I walked briskly down the main street until I reached the flower-seller by the corner. Grabbing a bunch of flowers and a newspaper, I paid the vendor and made my way back home. Opening the front door, I took my shoes off and walked through to the kitchen to find a vase to put the flowers in. The room filled with the fragrance of the flowers. I put the kettle on
the stove and lit the gas. In the background, I heard Maa moving around. I must have woken her with the sound of the front door closing. The kettle whistled, and I began preparing our morning tea. I turned around to see her walk into the kitchen.

‘Good morning, Maa.’ I was unable to contain the excitement in my voice. ‘Come. Sit. I have made you some tea. Here is your newspaper,’ I said with a smile.

Maa smiled back at me, taking in the flowers, tea and my mood. ‘Well, either you have received some very good news about your job, or you have found a nice young girl at the shop this morning,’ she joked.

‘I got the job, Maa!’ I walked around to her side of the table and, bending down, I threw my arms around her. ‘This is it! This is the beginning of our lives, Maa,’ I said with a wide smile, squeezing her tightly.

She smiled proudly back at me. ‘I knew you would get it, my boy. I am so proud of how far you have come.’

We sat around the table drinking tea and discussing the future. Maa offered her advice on how I should approach my resignation letter, reminding me that I should not burn bridges; she had raised me better than that, after all. An hour later, I stood up, telling her to get dressed while I typed out a rough draft of my resignation. Today, I wanted to spend time with her; I would take her to the flower market. I knew this was one of her favourite places to spend the day. I opened my laptop, and the screen instantly came to life. I berated myself for not shutting it down properly last night. An email had come in from Gautam, confirming a meeting for Monday afternoon. I typed a quick response and got down to putting together my resignation letter. By the time I was done, Maa was ready. Being careful to save the document and shut down correctly this time, I put my laptop away. We left the apartment together, arm in arm.