The Mind Creative SEP 2013
the end of the month, Lax realised that the time was drawing to a close for him. He woke up every day with the uncomfortable thought of not waking up the next day. The days of trepidation passed very painfully. Surprisingly though, the days changed to weeks and then into a month. Lax did not die. The month passed into few more months and, by then, he only felt better than ever. However, by that time, spending was an uncontrollable habit and the outgoings did not stop. At the end of five months, Lax stopped waiting for death to come knocking at his door. Of course, by then, the money had dried up and in fact there was a large debt riding on his shoulders. His only relief was that he had not informed the children about the predicted doom and in the process had spared them a lot of heartache. It did not take him long to sell his house and his car. He paid up his debts and then, with his family, moved into a very small apartment in far west of the city. He applied for many jobs but it was all in vain. Ultimately, having resigned to his state of joblessness, he urged Parimala a take up a clerical job at a local hospital.
The years crawled by. Parimala kept on working diligently at the hospital and her diligence was rewarded with a few promotions and a very good salary within the next few years. Lax, on the other hand, had delved into religion. Having given up on liquor and other minor vices, he spent most his time at the local Indian temple. The kids, Pat and Sid, grew up into hard working young men and soon they moved out on their own.
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