A successful widow

The real story  of a successful widow

A successful  widow  who brought her children after a great struggle and hardship. In my childhood I have seen her sufferings and struggle. This is very much lingering in my mind.

She was married to a husband who belong to a small village, His profession was climbing palm trees. They had three children two girls and a boy.  The father passed away all of a sudden, due to snake bite, on his way to his work. The children were so young.

The widow was the only bread winner of the family.The widow had helping neighbors but even then it was her duty to raise up the kids. So, she daily gets up by 4.00 in the morning, cooks food then before sunrise by 5.00 AM.She goes to the fields picks up pebbles like stones in sacks. Then she cooks the stones in fire with woods in a fire place especially made of mud. Then the cooked stones which are turned into calcium stones are cooled down .These stones on adding water it is used for white wash. She next day she has to carry that stones which are very heavy. It a long way of five Kilometers by walk through fields and small narrow paths and there she sells it for a small amount of money and she gets some provisions to run her family.Three days of hardship and the fourth day she earns a little bit.

That is how she spent nearly 18 years. The successful widow’s son is settled and one daughter is settled. Whereas, other died of illness, as She became mad by the age of 10 and because of that too, this poor widow has to face many problems.

Whenever she has to go on work she has to lock the ill child her in the small hut and leave for work. Some times due to peak of madness that child used to break the doors and come out and threaten the neighbors. At the age of 19,that  daughter passed away. Though as a mother she was much upset, but she consoled herself saying ” I couldn’t see her any more suffering, “Thank God, he has taken her away at the right time”.

The Successful widow lives in the same place with her own earnings, though she suffers severe headaches often. She says this is because of the heavy weight she used to carry on her head. She is nearing her 75. Now, she is happy that her grand children are much better in life compared to her.  The will power, strength,and the strong mind and guts she has is unimaginable. Isn’t she a successful widow.