Back in my bedroom, I dressed in the black suit Maa had bought me for my twenty-fifth birthday. The neatly ironed light blue shirt went perfectly with it. Staring at my ties, I decided on the more subtle dark blue tie to bring my look together. There would be time for flamingos and cartoon characters later on. I bent down to tie the laces on my worn leather shoes. Standing up, I examined myself in the mirror and brushed out the creases that had formed from bending over.

I made my way through the house and into the kitchen. Sitting at the table was Maa; she was still in her nightgown, her long black hair, streaked with reds and greys, cascaded down her back. She was reading yesterday’s newspaper and sipping on some tea; tea had been prepared for me as well. Next to the mug was a bowl of Mysore bonda.

‘Good morning, beta,’ she said. ‘Let me look at you.’ She gestured for me to come closer for inspection.

‘Morning, Maa,’ I replied, walking up to her.

‘Very handsome, my boy. Sit. Have your tea and eat.’ She gestured towards the place I had sat since I was a child.

‘Maa, you didn’t need to do this,’ I said, before sitting down at the table.

‘You cannot go to a big interview with no food in your belly. Sit. Eat,’ she said before returning to her newspaper. I smiled; I loved this woman so much. She was the reason I was interviewing for this job today—I wanted to give her a better life. To repay her for everything she had done for me. I sipped my tea and took a bite of a bonda.

‘Anything interesting?’ I asked her, pointing to the newspaper she was reading.

She turned the page before answering. ‘I only look at the advertisements in these things, Ashray. The media only reports on sadness and heartache. I see these things every day when I walk to the market, and I do not need to read about them also.’ She folded the newspaper. Picking up her teacup, she turned her attention to me.

‘You have your CV and copies of your degree and certificates?’ she asked.

‘Yes, Maa,’ I replied, getting up to put my dishes in the kitchen sink.

‘Good. You can do this, Ashray,’ she said; her eyes, filled with love and faith, met mine.

I kissed her on the cheek and, picking up my old leather briefcase, walked out the door to catch a bus.

On the bus, I reflected on how hard my Maa had worked to ensure that I was able to get the qualifications I needed to be successful. She was a woman who had so little but gave so much. I strived for success, not just for me, but to repay her for all she had done for me.

There are moments of realisation in our lives that force us to make decisions about our future. Good decisions. But even the good ones can be tough when you fear letting down people who have been good to you. I knew my self-worth though; well, I thought I did; and I knew my first job was a good one. But it didn’t offer me growth or development in the company. When I finished my studies, I had applied for a position in sales and marketing at my current company. A few years later, there I was, turned down for a promotion, and my requests for a salary increase declined.