Essay: When the Loss comes Calling by Smitha Murthy

In this essay, Smitha Murthy shares her journey of how loss comes in life in ebbs and tides, and how grief washes us over and over leaving us tired.

The sea slumbers. The walk from the hotel room is short, broken tiles crunching under my feet, careless puppies nipping at my ankles. It’s just past 6 in the morning, but the air is already muggy. A steaming cauldron. A typical November in Chennai. I walk up to the promenade, breathing in the faint breeze. I choose the first bench I see and sit down, facing the sea. Walkers go past me briskly. I glance at my Kindle. But I can’t read it. I can’t read anything. I am here, waiting for the shortest, longest meeting of my life.