The doorbell finally rang and the Old Lady walked at a slightly faster pace, so that she could quickly open the door and welcome her new guest, whom she was so excited about.
She invited the girl in with as much vigour as she could gather, while the movers helped the girl carry her boxes and table and chair inside.
Old Lady decided she didn’t want to come across as nosy right away, and so decided to keep her curiosity about the table to herself for the time being. She showed the girl around the house and allowed her to settle in and rest in her room for a bit. She noticed the table kept in her room. It was wooden, with not so much of an exquisite craftsmanship. Another reason that she couldn’t fathom why such an ordinary piece of furniture was being carried around.
That night, Old Lady made dinner for two, after many, many years. She had some difficulty in adjusting the quantity and making sure that it would suffice the two of them.
The girl and the Old Lady sat down together and naturally, their conversation steered towards general topics like family, work and neighbourhood. Once that was over, a sudden silence befell the room, and yet it didn’t feel awkward. Not to Old Lady at least. And that was perhaps because she couldn’t stop wondering about the table and whether it was now alright for her to ask the girl about it. It was just gnawing at her for some reason, which made her feel like she was watching a mystery movie that refused to end.
Finally, without sounding too desperate, Old Lady asked the girl, “I see you’ve not brought too many belongings with you. Can you manage with just this much?”
The girl, quickly finishing her bite, was eager to reply, “Oh, um...I’m on the move a lot. So it’s just easier to have fewer belongings.”
The Old Lady felt amused at the irony of that, wondering how having a table in that mix was making it easier to be on the move. If anything, it must be adding more trouble. She couldn’t resist being very straightforward about it and simply asked, “What about the table? Is it something you carry with you everywhere?”
The girl smiled and said, “Oh, it’s more like a keepsake. It’s silly, I know.”
The Old Lady was even more intrigued by this and said, “Oh, keepsake you say? I’m quite curious about that and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, my dear, but I have all the time in the world for a good story, if you don’t mind.”
The girl chuckled on hearing this and took a moment to gather her thoughts. After a brief pause, she began, “It’s my grandfather’s. Was, I mean. He died a few years ago and he left me that.”
Surprised, the Old Lady asked, “He left you a table and a chair?”
The girl continued, “Yes! I know it’s strange. But as a kid, I used to visit my grandparents a lot at our house in the village. And on most days, I would find him sitting on that chair and using that table. But what really piqued my interest in it was the fact that he’d keep the chair moving. One day facing towards the window, another day facing towards the door.”
The Old Lady interjected with an ‘Oh!”, the perplexity in her voice quite evident.
The girl understood and exclaimed, “I know! It was a strange thing to do, but he was a strange man and it was very much on character for him to do strange things like these. I asked him many times why he’d do that. But he refused to answer, saying ‘I wouldn’t understand’.
“Then, when he died, I found out that he’d left a bunch of his belongings to all of us in the family. I was surprised to know that he’d left the table to me. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I brought it with me anyway. I know it’s quite ordinary looking. But I wanted to keep something of him with me.
“A few days after that though, I happened to slip my hand under the table while pulling it closer to the chair. And I felt something. So when I looked under the table, I found a note stuck to it, with my name written on the envelope, in his handwriting. So I opened it and read it.”
The Old Lady was so engrossed in this tale and was eager to know what the note said. So she asked the girl if she didn’t mind telling her.
“Oh yes, absolutely. It’s nothing too personal. It read - ‘I know you’ll wonder why I left you this table. So I’m going to answer your question about moving my chair and I hope you’ll know the reason why it’s meant to be with you. If I have to guess, I’d say you’re expecting something complex. Well, in that case, I’m going to have to apologize in advance. But that’s because the reason is incredibly simple. It’s a ROUND table! And you know what’s the one thing that round tables don’t have? The edges! Which means that it’s never going to restrict you to stay within either of the corners. Go crazy! Sit anywhere! It’s all the same. So, what I want you to know is that, treat the world like I treated this table. Go around, see the world from every angle. Move your chair. But never keep yourself restricted within those edges. Never. It’s just as simple as that!”
The girl had a little tear in the corner of her eye as she said, “You know, my grandfather and I would always have very short, fleeting conversations. This letter, it’s the longest conversation I’ve had with him. Or more like the longest conversation he’s had with me.”
The Old Lady and the girl finished the rest of their dinner in utter, but comforting silence. And then each headed to their own rooms.
The next day, Old Lady went into the girl’s room to give her tea. The girl wasn’t around. Maybe she’d gone for a walk or maybe she was just taking a bath. The Old Lady thought it best to come in later.
Before she shut the door behind her, she noticed that the chair was in a different position than yesterday’s. But this time she didn’t have to wonder. She knew.
