A women who lived her life with her self-confidence

Article written by Nevin Kuriakose, HOSD 2015, Christ University

Am so glad and happy that am writing this essay because this essay is about my aunt. Her name is Cicily Mathew. She is 68 years old, and she is a widow, but she is the most energetic person I ever saw. My aunt Cicily Mathew is one among the 13 children. She is oldest kid so obviously she was like a mother to other 12 children.  Whenever I go to her house even I felt that vibrance of love, care which is filled around her.

When I talked to her about this essay, she was so excited, because she don’t even know what is internet, and something that is going to be in the internet about her made her so happy. When I started talking about her past and present through my phone I felt the happiness in her each and every word. 

My aunt studied till 10^th standard in Saint Thomas upper primary school in Wayanad, Kerala. She got married to Mathew when she was 20 years old. And they both together started a small teashop where maximum 10 people can sit and it was attached to their house. Both of them were expecting a good small family with their children, but god didn’t bless them. Doctors said that they can’t have a baby together. That makes her miserable. But Mathew, my uncle was with her always. He wiped her tears and started a new life. For the next ten years she was happy and my uncle and aunty had a nice life together. She said that was her best period of time in her life. But almost after ten years my uncle Mathew passed away because of heart attack. That made her half dead, she said that is the time when she realized that from this time onwards there will no one to wipe her tears. Then she realized that for the rest of her life she is alone, and from that thought she came to a decision that life is not to cry and sit doing nothing. It is about to fight back and enjoy it.

After one month from my uncle passed away she called my father and she ask him to help her for applying a loan to build a new tea shop. My father and aunt went to bank took that loan and within 2 month she renewed her old small teashop where maximum 10 can sit to a teashop where 20 people can sit. And she hired one helper and started her new life with a new teashop. After one year she paid her debt back to bank with interest. She paid all her small debts and after two years I saw her life coming back to settled and peace full again like how was when my uncle was there. After that two years, she never came back to a situation where she has to ask help to others. And in my village that small teashop is still there which has a shelf full of tasty snacks, same old helper and owner my aunt in the cash counter.

I don’t know why she inspired or touched my life so much. I got to know all this when I asked her. But always in my life she was there to help me.  Whenever I went to her shop she will be there in cash counter with a snack for me, and with a smile in her face. Whenever I feel so confused or tensed I went to her shop I helped her. She never gave any kind of advice but her presence helped me a lot. May be her view about life may changed my attitude also. I know that her presence and that tea shop is one of the important part of my life.  I am sure that when I go back to my village after few years, she will be there waiting for me in that cash counter with a snack for me and with that same old smile in her face.