My ageing parents live in an ageing city. And for the past year and 3 months, they have been living on their own, without any help. Till November, last year, they refused to even have a part time house help, in the fear that the infection might touch them. Ma fell ill around mid

November, nonCovid viral infection that took a huge toll on her. Baba had to manage everything on his own, cooking, taking care of her and manage the house. He started to keep unwell for some time. I literally forced them to get their part time house help back - so that at least

part of their house work could get managed.
But through all of this and more, I have never heard them complaining, not a single time. I continue to speak to them everyday, on WhatsApp video, so that I know that they are doing well and they are relieved to see me doing better.

And again, through this second wave their life has become difficult. Their help has been sick, some kind of viral fever. And Ma and Baba have promptly sent her off on a paid leave - with strict instructions to return only after a fortnight.
And today, for the first time, Ma

said “ar parchhi Na re! Ar parchhi Na! Saradin eto kaaj ar kortay parchhi Na!” (I can’t do this any more, can’t handle so much of work any more)
I can’t even start to tell you how helpless that makes me feel. I’m so far away, oceans apart, with no way to fly to them. It’s so

tough to accept this.
Our parents deserve so much more. Least of all, a relatively quiet life with small comforts and some peace of mind. And the pandemic has taken away all of that and so much more.

It’s painful to see them smiling through all this hardship - they smile so that I believe that they are doing just fine.
I feel so guilty for being so far away from them. I feel so helpless when I see them trying to battle everything everyday.
Given everything they’ve been

through, they deserve so much more. I don’t know how to cope with this guilt and this helplessness.
And I’m sure a lot of you are feeling the same way.
Tell me. What did we do wrong? What did we do wrong? Why are our parents having to pay the price?