A Journey Home : A Tale of Family and Resilience

Hi friends, I'm Boomi, working at a startup in Chennai. Our company is growing, and we're moving to a new office location. During this transition, I got the chance to work from home for two weeks. Excited, I immediately called my mom in Coimbatore to share the news. As a hostel dweller, I was craving homemade food, so I gave her a list of my favorite dishes.

That night, I booked my train ticket on the Cheran Express, departing at 10 PM. Around 11 AM, my dad called to check on me. "What are you doing, dear?" he asked. "Working, Pa, I'm in the office," I replied, since our office didn't observe Bakrid as a holiday.

Then, he told me that my mom had slipped and broken her wrist. When he handed the phone to her, I asked, "What happened, Mom? What did you do?" I didn't think it was serious until she started crying. Realizing she was in pain and scared, I reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll be home by morning and take care of you."

My parents went to Ganga Hospital, renowned for its orthopedic care. My friend dropped me at the railway station, and we bought fried rice to eat. We arrived just in time, so I couldn't eat it. He split the rice into his tiffin box since he needed to cook once he got home.

I boarded the train, settled into my upper berth, and informed my mom that I had started my journey and would be there by morning. My cousin from Chennai called to check on me. I told him I was on the train and would reach Tirupur by 5 AM. He knew about my mom's accident but wasn't sure if I had been informed. "Yes, they told me at 11 AM," I said. "Take care, dear, and travel safely," he replied.

Despite setting multiple alarms, I couldn't sleep properly, waking up every hour to check the time. Usually, I catch the bus at 5 AM, but it started at 5:30 AM that day. By the time I reached home, it was 6:30 AM. My dad was already packing for the hospital. I quickly freshened up, and we left for the hospital at 7 AM. Initially, I thought we'd park the bike at the bus stand and take the bus to Ganga Hospital, but my dad decided to drive directly to avoid traffic.

We arrived at the hospital by 8 AM, and preparations for the operation were underway. I learned about the operation only on the way to the hospital. When I saw my mom, she started crying. I patted her head and reassured her, "Don't worry, Mom, it's just a minor operation. You'll get better soon."

We waited outside the room—my dad, my brother, and I—all exhausted from lack of sleep. My brother informed me that we needed one unit of blood. The hospital would use it from the bank, but we needed to replace it by the end of the day. I started calling my friends for blood donors.

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