A Quiet Family

I always thought staying in the city makes you better than the other. City dwellers smell good, they have a big heart and clean clothes. As growing up this was the first thing which occurred to me,

And ma told me you will have to become civilized and be part of the city. They have no time for petty matters and they don’t discriminate between educated or uneducated,

Baba felt otherwise, but he never retorted- anything ma preached. I studied from a small gram and moved to the city for higher education. But so long, pa never intervened with any preaching or didactic teaching. He was a vegetable seller, He’s routine included waking up at 3 am, get vegetables and sell it all day.

After coming home he was never inebriated, he never lost temper on mom. Neither had he raised his voice – our family was quiet and mom did most of the talking. He worked joyfully and ensured we should never sleep empty stomach. I completed my schooling and  I moved to the city and stayed there in the hostel. And kept writing letters to mom and sometimes call them.

One day I received a call that my father passed away, I immediately went home, with the heaviness in my heart. The journey took longer than expected. I couldn’t hold my self and I wept traveling on the bus. I wanted to be at home. To be with mom 

Six-hour later I reached home. That was the only day I felt eerie of silence at home 

A silence mixed with melancholy. That we have lost something 

He made me what I am today, he gave me a lesson. Ma and pa was a perfect example of a sound parenting, They knew what a child should hear while growing up. I sit outside in the veranda, it was a quiet evening and everyone left after the dirge, Ma was inside- a breeze pinched me and moved ahead. Like he was waiting for me to come home so he can go away, I knew it was him, who looked at me for the last time.