She struggled to finish the chores so that she could attend her kids'school annual function . She had barely reached when the announcement was made for class 2 kids to perform a folk dance. It was a "Just in time "moment as she watched her daughter entering the stage with other kids of her class. She was looking very pretty in flashing red Salwar Kameez and bright golden Dupatta. They were to perform Bhangra. She waved to her wandering eyes which were desperately trying to catch hold of her parents.The greeting smile in response was priceless the moment their eyes met with each other.
Finally , she a took a deep breath, filled with air of relaxation and started looking for a seat. "Yes, I was able to make it well in time." She thought to herself. As soon as she got the seat, she took out the program details attached with the card and checked on if kindergarten class has already performed. Her son was in KG and would be performing as well . Much to her happiness it was the second next performance after this one. She entered her world of thoughts again " How difficult it has been for her to manage home, office and kids all alone. No, she has been married for all these years but has been a single parent throughout. She is a career woman but her career has always been the one with lot of compromises , sometimes by compensating late night outs to catch up with the lag of office work, sometimes with the extended hours of work before sleep in order to finish kids homework , and sometimes even taking unplanned leaves if kiddos are unwell... Life has been so centred around kids and office that she is barely left with any time for herself . Right from preparing their tiffins and getting them ready for school till the homework and arranging the dresses and meals of their choices. Not to mention the unexpected demands to create charts , cards and other art and craft items on various school occasions.
Her chain of thoughts was broken with the loud applause of parents around. the kids were performing really well. What she saw on stage was really mesmerizing, kids were performing with absolute excellence, well in sync with each other, matching steps perfectly and the rhythmic claps from parents was making it an absolute treat to watch. All around there were happy parents, cheering happily , waving to their kids and feeling proud of themselves. Amidst all this, some 2-3 rows in front of her she suddenly spotted a familiar face. Her heart skipped a beat and then she tried to double check if it was him. To her surprise , yes... it was Him , her best friend from school and then her colleague for 10 years , after which he had moved on in his career for better opportunities. How beautiful were those times , the hangouts, the naughty fights, the sweet caring moments, everything was absolute bliss. In all these years how drastically her life has changed , she has completely forgotten herself in her responsibilities and chores. not to mention the grey hairline which adds to the experience. One look at him and he too has a slight tinge of grey. But he still has the same captivating smile which could take away millions of hearts, the energy and enthusiasm while cheering for his kiddo was the same as he would cheer for her when she used to win awards for her speech contests.How come he is here. He must have had an important client meeting. A sudden shiver in her wanted to hug him instantly , at the same moment , she wanted to tell him instantly that how much he has been missed and she still loved him the same way. She wanted to relive the same old moments which had been lost somewhere. All this while she has given all the blame to his career and his aspirations. But she knew that she too had been at fault , she had no time for him .
She got up and started approaching towards him. He too noticed her and extended his hand towards her , gestured her to sit besides him with a broad smile and a calm , assuring composure. With this they both waited for the next performance of their son. After all he has proved that he is a good father too:):) besides being a great professional.
Finally , she a took a deep breath, filled with air of relaxation and started looking for a seat. "Yes, I was able to make it well in time." She thought to herself. As soon as she got the seat, she took out the program details attached with the card and checked on if kindergarten class has already performed. Her son was in KG and would be performing as well . Much to her happiness it was the second next performance after this one. She entered her world of thoughts again " How difficult it has been for her to manage home, office and kids all alone. No, she has been married for all these years but has been a single parent throughout. She is a career woman but her career has always been the one with lot of compromises , sometimes by compensating late night outs to catch up with the lag of office work, sometimes with the extended hours of work before sleep in order to finish kids homework , and sometimes even taking unplanned leaves if kiddos are unwell... Life has been so centred around kids and office that she is barely left with any time for herself . Right from preparing their tiffins and getting them ready for school till the homework and arranging the dresses and meals of their choices. Not to mention the unexpected demands to create charts , cards and other art and craft items on various school occasions.
Her chain of thoughts was broken with the loud applause of parents around. the kids were performing really well. What she saw on stage was really mesmerizing, kids were performing with absolute excellence, well in sync with each other, matching steps perfectly and the rhythmic claps from parents was making it an absolute treat to watch. All around there were happy parents, cheering happily , waving to their kids and feeling proud of themselves. Amidst all this, some 2-3 rows in front of her she suddenly spotted a familiar face. Her heart skipped a beat and then she tried to double check if it was him. To her surprise , yes... it was Him , her best friend from school and then her colleague for 10 years , after which he had moved on in his career for better opportunities. How beautiful were those times , the hangouts, the naughty fights, the sweet caring moments, everything was absolute bliss. In all these years how drastically her life has changed , she has completely forgotten herself in her responsibilities and chores. not to mention the grey hairline which adds to the experience. One look at him and he too has a slight tinge of grey. But he still has the same captivating smile which could take away millions of hearts, the energy and enthusiasm while cheering for his kiddo was the same as he would cheer for her when she used to win awards for her speech contests.How come he is here. He must have had an important client meeting. A sudden shiver in her wanted to hug him instantly , at the same moment , she wanted to tell him instantly that how much he has been missed and she still loved him the same way. She wanted to relive the same old moments which had been lost somewhere. All this while she has given all the blame to his career and his aspirations. But she knew that she too had been at fault , she had no time for him .
She got up and started approaching towards him. He too noticed her and extended his hand towards her , gestured her to sit besides him with a broad smile and a calm , assuring composure. With this they both waited for the next performance of their son. After all he has proved that he is a good father too:):) besides being a great professional.
Wonderful, very well written!! Really liked the end.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, very well written!! Really liked the end.
ReplyDelete