The Gift

The Gift
The smell of soil, so sweet that the first rain of the monsoon unleashed, was still in the air. Raghav sat on the table, wearing a vest, his chest hairs peeped from the top of his vest. The shrieking cacophony of frogs and crickets was not very pleasant to his ears, but the feel of cool breeze and smell of greenery that the rain had bestowed made it was hard for him to close the windows. The intermittent sound of howling and barking dogs in the street outside, disturbed his aural senses but he still stood near the window, inhaled the fresh cool breeze, felt so alive. The sounds of fingers tapping the keyboard of his lap top blended well with the sounds of the fluttering curtains. He looked at his face in the mirror hanging precariously from the wall. He was conscious of the graying hairs as his fingers brushed them, a vain effort to hide them. He felt that his hair line were receding as well.

His eyes ached, as he closed eye lids momentarily, by flickering lights of the laptop. He could hear the sound of Television, so aware that his wife Sheela was watching her favorite episode. Raghav noded his head, grumbled “Why do women watch so much TV”

He took the water bottle from the table, still looked outside, his eyes fixed at the sight of moon playing hide and seek behind the gray clouds peeping out from behind with streaks of white lights. He wiped the trickling droplet of water that leaked from corner of his lips, He wondered why he is still working, when he is at vacation. His thoughts lost in his own days, the village street was different, so alive. He wondered, what development has really done to the village, he could hear sounds of the television from the adjacent houses.

His eyes fixed on his young son Vikas lying on the bed, tired after playing in the sun with the kids in the village. He smiled at his serene peaceful face. “God! He looks so much at peace with him, wish he was so much manageable when awoke”

He felt the burning sensation of his eyes gone , His fingers so much wanted to weave through his hairs, but he knew that would wake him. He so much reminded him of his own young days. It’s a great feeling being father, and he knew that he was a good father.

He looked up, caught unaware by the whispered voice of his wife Sheela “Do you remember, tomorrow is his birthday” as she pushed the glass of milk, and Raghav wrapped his fingers around the glass, feeling the warmth of the milk through the steel glass.

He nodded his head and smirked “Is it a break time on your TV? You should have married TV instead me”

He enjoyed the sight of her white teeth beaming under her curled lips, as she pretended to be annoyed. She glanced at Raghav, his eyes were scanning her with a strange smile with many meaning, and which strangely made Sheela blush.

Sheela wanted to say “you should have married this laptop” but she did not. As she moved closer, weaved her fingers though his chest hairs. “You know he was asking for this birthday?”

Sheela looked in his eyes could see Raghav's eyes were on the loose streaks of hairs on her forehead, as she deliberately rolled her fingers in those streaks.

“You know, we are spoiling him by giving in to his each demand.” Raised his eyebrows, as he slurped the warm sweet milk form the glass “What does he want this time, remember we are not in a big city and struck in my village”

Sheela’s fingers crawled on Raghav’s chest, as he smiled to feel her touch,felt pushed when he attempted to wrap his arms around her waist in midst of hissing protests from Sheela
“What are you doing? Your mother would come in”
She gently pushed him, muffled peals of laughter as Raghav just manages not to spill the milk, careful not to wake up Vikas.

Both of them looked at their young 7 year old son with parental pride as Sheela whispered

“He wants a kite and some Laddoos form the Lala sweet shop, his favorite” Sheela seemed to be in hurry as her episode was soon going to on after the ad break.

Raghav siped the last drop from his glass “I bet he is not going to share even a single ladoo with us” as he handed over the glass to Sheela, who walked fast to watch her favorite episode on the TV.



Next day

Raghav was furious when he saw tears trickling down Vikas cheeks, his loud cries deafened his ears as everyone was huddled around him. Raghav wanted to catch hold of the boy who tore his son’s kite as it still fluttered, lifeless in his little fingers.

He wanted this day to be the happiest day of his life, and he really couldn’t see tears flowing endlessly, rolling down his cheeks. He wanted to hug and comfort him, but he knew that cordon of people were around him to pamper and comfort him. Vikas was surrounded by his grandmother, aunt and mother. Raghav didn’t wanted his cousin to pretend shouting at the boy who tore his birthday kite, he really wanted to catch hold of that boy and shake him.

As they stepped out of the car, all of them walked to the temple at the small hill top. Vikas exuded levels of energy that only a kid of his age could have. He looked strangely at the few beggars sitting on the stairs leading to the temple, in their tattered dirty clothes. They looked so dirty and wretched, their irritating wailing cries for alms made Raghav turn his head away.

Raghav could see Sheela arms held Vikas tight, pulled him up towards the hill top, to make offerings to the god and get blessing for the son.

Raghav cursed the poor souls lined on the stairs of the temple. He was able to validate his indifference to them by calling them lazy. He wasn’t even aware that he managed to suppress surging feelings that he felt empathetic to the disabled human bodies. He knew that their exaggerated cry for food and money is fake.

Vikas mind still tried hard to suppress the echo of the cries and pleads of the beggars, even while he prayed. He leaned on the floor on his knees, smearing sandalwood paste on Vikas’s forehead.

How fast children change their emotional tone! Vikas now bubbled with energy, ran around the temple complex with his cousins and new friends he made at the temple. As They all walked down from the hill top, Raghav could see Vikas clutching the Ladoo sweet box.

Raghav was curiously enjoyed looking at strange expressions on Vikas’s face, when one ladoo was taken from the box, to be offered to the god.

His eyes followed Vikas,as they walked down, carrying the sweet box and he jumped form one stair to another. He was near the foot of the stairs where beggars were sitting, Raghav started walking fast to catch up with him, lest he should be scared.

Raghav walked fast, only to stop before reaching his son, to see Vikas open his sweet box, and placing one ladoo in the palms of each beggar sitting there. Raghav was speechless and filled with strange surge of emotions, feeling little ashamed too. His fingers instinctively reached for his purse to take some money that he wanted Vikas to give. He realized that his son has given him gift on this day.