The wait was about to get over.... we were finally about to meet someone, we had been waiting for... since quite a sometime !!
We were planning for this visit for months now... And as it happens to be, when you wait for something to happen.. time passes like a snail. All of your patience drains out like battery of a smart-phone does, when continuously used for playing online games using Wi-fi.
Though the visit was pre-planned, the exact date of arrival was not confirmed. And this very element of uncertainty, leaves you perplexed. I consciously tried to overcome the feeling by avoiding thinking about it, but as one would expect....it kept haunting me till the last day, last minute. Your mind starts circling in thousands of “If-then-else loops” every day, every moment. And that is when you start receiving unwanted tips from relatives and advice camps organized by all the "well-wishers". And it makes you sympathize with the mail-box already full with tons of spam e-mails, being bombarded with special & exclusive festive offers from online retailers. Though, a mailbox is more fortunate, since it can return excess of e-mails as undelivered, but you just can't !! You have to receive all, that too with gratitude...
First time, when I saw the pictures, it aroused a flurry of emotions inside... of curiosity, of excitement, of daze . Believe me, nothing could compare to the thrill and awe of the moment, when you look at the hazy pictures and try to imprint the pictures of someone so close and yet so far in your mind !!
Wait… enough of this flashback !! I cannot keep myself occupied with the sweet, innocent memories of the past….not anymore !! I need to face the harsh reality. The reality that I have to spend rest of my life with my biggest competitor, my biggest rival…my son !!
Yeah..yeah..yeah.. I know I am supposed to be a proud father… smiling and contended figure, a glass filled upto brim with happiness. But, you would not feel the same way once you read through my agony and pain.
I was a happy man, spending my life happily with my family. I was the poster boy of my family, the CXO of my family, the lead actor of my family soap opera… but everything has changed since past 10 months… First, my wife gently pulled the “Most Favored Person” crown off my head and the rest followed suit. It was like, getting the Corner Cabin , after years of hard work and loyalty to the company and then getting kicked out of it a day later coz of recession !!
It was my wife, who became the new center of attraction in the home, the most visited tourist destination during guest visits. And I could see the evil smile on her face, whenever we crossed paths. And I used to smile back at her, since I knew the fact that she was ignoring.. that it would be someone else, who would be smiling at us both for life long !! That the crown she pulled off my head, would be soon sliding from her head also. And this sadistic pleasure was the only relief I had during the first 9 months.
As the inevitable occurred one month back on the eventful day of 30-Sep-13, my life took a Z-turn. The Prince Charming of our family had arrived !! My mother was the first one to declare war on me, then grandfather of my son ( he prefers his new title more than the previous one..) and then aunt of my son (I called her elder sister before that) and finally whole world started showing solidarity with them.
I started feeling Titanic after it struck the Ice-burg… this was the Ice-burg moment of my life !! It would never be same again as it used to be… no more couch potato luxury, no more lazy weekends, , no more hang-outs with friends, no more ironed clothes, no more…so much more….
And my rival… he is having the time of his life at the cost of my misery. He has made my daily routine a Mayhem… nights have become nightmare itself and he himself sleeps in peace whenever he wants… I have to forcibly attend to “Become responsible, at least now” lectures live, online or through telecons and he can wet my t-shirt, anytime he wants…. I have to attend to him all the time its asked for and he can avoid me whenever he wants !! And the worst.. my pockets are leaking like municipal office ceilings and he gets gifts from all around…
But… I admit it’s still worth to take all this pain, jealousy and frustration for that one moment when he clings onto my index finger though involuntary, or for that sparkling smile without reason which brightens whole day, or that innocent stare while I pick him up to play !! It’s all magical… sheer pleasure watching him grow everyday, learn something new everyday..
Wish everyone gets their share someday.... I am having mine… it is fun indeed and I am cherishing it in my own way !!
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