Please lend me your hand.

“mone zakale onnu help cheiuvamma da?” an elderly voice broke the serene envelop of silence around me. I am not habitual to listen to such complicated words that too at supersonic speed. By the time my mind got hold of first letter, the entire sentence was over.
I was sitting of the left hand side of the grotto in seminary hills in a semi sitting and semi kneeling position a kind of ‘Aasanaa’. Apart from occasional clatter of children and crying of babies its quiet. But this got my eyes opened to look around.
To add to my surprise I saw an elderly man starring towards me. To tell you the truth the man wore everything white from hair to shirt and strangely even a white LUNGI. I dragged my backpack close to me thinking maybe its lying in his way.
He smiled at me after looking this and again repeated the same sentence
“mone zakale onnu help cheiuvamma da….?”
And there was a big question mark all over my face.
“Excuse me??!!” I reactively replied.
The man asked “Ni Malayalam samsari kumma?”
My face got relaxed after hearing it.
“No no malayalam….only English…...and hindi” I said.
The old busted into laugh maybe because the way I replied to his question, like a foreigner.
“I mean to say could you lend your hand for a minute” he said
“yes absolutely” I said
I saw a super old lady sitting there i understood she is the wife. He man held her one hand and uttered something and I was ready with on the other side with my hands. The lady stood up and with the support of our hands. She could barely walk and somehow slowly and carefully we managed to get her down from the first set of 12 steps of the grotto.
As we slowly approached the next set stairs a group of people hurried towards us and another young man smiled and took her hands from me. I thought that they are family and so I turned around to leave.
The old man again called for me
“yes sir!” I hurriedly replied.
He smiled and said “thank you munna”.
“Please don't say it. It's nothing” I said.
“ joyin us for lunch”
“whats the occasion” I inquired.
“oh!! Its our 52nd wedding anniversary” he said smiling.
My eyes stuck to its place as I couldn't believe what I heard and as I was trying to calculate there present age accordingly. 52nd !!! you got to be joking.
He again laughed and patted on my back and took me along.
“its our 52nd anniversary and our youngest son was blessed with a baby last week so we decided t have a family prayer and lunch here. You helped us out so join us”.
“Do you still love your wife?” I couldn't believe I just said that. It’s a kind of thing that can land you in deep trouble and invite a public thrashing. He gave me a angry look and I instantly bite my tongue.
He then smiled and replied “of course I do munna!! So what if she's old and fat and faces difficulty in walking, even am not salman khan”
I felt that he was making fun of my stupid question and even I felt pity for myself.
“we were blessed with 3 sons and a lovely daughter giving birth to 4 children and growing them up takes a lot out of a women. Maybe somewhere I myself is responsible for her present condition” he started and then it was he speaking and I listening.
“I know her for past 52 years longest than anyone in her life” as the old lady was escorted by her family
“she trusts me more than GOD. I stand by her today just the way I did 52 years ago. I cannot let go of her just because she old and weak and not that good looking as she was 5 decades back.”
He continued “we took a promise in front of GOD that we’ll take care of each other in sickness and in health. Then why let go now? ”
“we spent the best years of our life when her hands were soft and mine strong. The day I held her hands for the first time I decided I am not going to let go of it...what ever happens.”
I thought he is actually making some sense as he continued “Its a sign of trust and belonging”.
“don’t love anyone for a reason. You people think of yourself as super smart kids. But am telling that you all are stupid. You are stupid because you don’t know the meaning of love. You relate it with looks and style and height and clothes. Its all physical to you people and you think it will remain forever. Right munna??!!”.
I laughed at the way he called me munna and so did he along with me. It was a very loud laugh.
This caught attention of one of is son and he shouted “Acha, vanamakku pokkum”.
“well munna just remember if you see yourself getting old with a person that means that you are in love with that person. That’s true and divine”.
I was cemented on the bench as his son escorted him towards dinning place. He turned around and said “you got it munna?” and started to laugh with his son.
“come lets have food..” he said in typical malayali accent and we walked together.
Well the message is clear itself. If you think about anyone in this way the YES you are in love.