After her husband passed away, Lakshmi sold her modest village home in Alwar, Rajasthan, and moved to Delhi to live with her only daughter, Riya Mehra.
She carried one simple belief in her heart:
A daughter will care for her mother.
A mother will care for her granddaughter.
That is how a family survives.
Every morning, she walked little Aarav to kindergarten.
Every afternoon, she cooked meals, washed clothes, cleaned floors, and kept the house running smoothly.
She never mentioned the 20 million rupees from selling her house — money that remained untouched in her bank account. The passbook was carefully wrapped and hidden inside her old cloth bundle.
She never felt the need to speak about it.
Love, she believed, was not measured in money.
One Sip That Changed Everything
That afternoon in Delhi was mercilessly hot. Dry winds swept through the garden outside their house in Greater Kailash.
Lakshmi’s throat burned with thirst.
On the table sat a half-finished glass of sweet lime juice Aarav had been drinking. Ice cubes floated lazily inside.
She lifted the glass and took one small sip.
Just enough to wet her lips.
At that exact moment, Riya stepped out of the kitchen.
“Mom, what are you doing?” she snapped.
Lakshmi flinched.
“Beta, I was very thirsty… I only took one sip.”
Riya slammed her spoon onto the glass table.
“That’s my child’s juice!
Have you lost all shame, even at your age?”
Little Aarav hid behind his mother’s dupatta, silent and wide-eyed.
Then Riya pointed at the door.
“This house doesn’t feed useless old people who contribute nothing!
Get out. Go wherever you want.”
Lakshmi stood still, her white sari fluttering in the scorching wind.
She did not cry.
She did not beg.
She walked to the living room, picked up her old cloth bag — the one holding her 20 million rupee savings passbook — and stepped outside.
She did not look back.
Three Decisions in One Afternoon
That same day, Lakshmi completed three life-changing tasks.
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