A Devoted Son Ending Rewrite
Ending Rewrite of the Devoted Son September 29th, 2012 “Papa, I have brought you a new tonic to help you feel better. You must take it; it will make you feel stronger again. Here it is. Promise you will take it regularly, Papa. ” Varma’s mouth worked as hard as though he still had a gob of betel in it (his supply of betel had been cut off years ago). Then he spat out some words, as soft and sweet as roses, into his sons face. “If it will make me feel stronger, and better than for you I will my son” The Great doctor looked at his father with such relief in his eyes, finally he will try and get better with my help.
He kissed his father on the forehead and then left into the house, with his wife, still waiting at the door with a cup of tea. The next morning Rakesh got up and brought his dad his morning tea, not in just any cup, but in the old man’s favorite brass tumbler. As Rakesh arrived to his father he did not look so well, so pale in the face, so much fear in him. Rakesh put the pillows behind his father’s back so he could sit up. “Papa, how are you feeling today, you don’t look so swell“ he said with sadness in his voice. In silence, Varma took the cup of tea from his son and took a sip.
He then removed the pillows from behind him so he was lying flat again, closed his eyes, and peacefully fell back to sleep. Rakesh sat there in silence knowing that it wasn’t long before his old man will pass on, from now it will only be a matter of days or even hours. Rakesh went about his day and went to work. Veena, Papa’s daughter-in law, fixed up some lunch for the old man, nothing special since Rakesh has order he had nothing fried, no butter, no oil. Veena came into the room with the stainless steel tray of food, some dry bread, boiled lentils, boiled vegetables, and some plane old boiled fish.
His daughter-in law put the tray on his lap turned around, and slipped silently out of the room with a little smirk that only the old man saw, and hated. Not long after Veena was down in the kitchen when she heard this scream of pain come from Varmas room stunned and scared, she dropped the glass on the wooden floor, crashing down with such an obnoxious noise. She raced upstairs to his bedroom, to find the old man lying stretched out on his bed, scared Veena went over to the side of the bed, only to come to the old man sitting up and once again spitting out red spittle on her.
So she thought it was. Veena yelled at him this is nonsense, you can’t keep spitting at me like that! But as she looked longer at old Papa she noticed it wasn’t spittle, it was blood. Papa was choking on his blood, having feeling so sorrowful that she was yelling him, Veena was panicking now, and she didn’t know what to do. She quickly picked up the phone to call Rakesh. She went to the old man trying to stop him from chocking but she couldn’t, it was to late the old man suddenly just fell over in bed. He was gone, Veena sat there beside the bed crying, and sobbing.
When Rakesh finally arrived home Veena met him at the door, with tears in her eyes, she looked up at him and Rakesh knew his father had passed. “No… No… No… “ Rakesh yelled. `This can’t be happening! “ He raced upstairs to his father, crying he was, he took his father’s hand and said I’m sorry papa, I shouldn’t have given you that tonic“. The next morning the ceremony for the old man was held, friends, family all gathered around, celebrating Varmas life. Rakesh got up went to the end of his father’s casket and bowed to his feet, just one last time.
