Pants Of A Flying Fox

 

"Pants of a Flying Fox "   

 A secret code between me and my mom.

Being a reticent person it was effortful to shed the concrete wall which had assembled around my mom's heart for years now.

It was sometime after I started working far away from home at the age of nineteen and after many turbulent roller coaster rides, I suddenly found myself to be more mature, independent, and strong. It was then I realized the pain of her life, how difficult would it have had been to raise three kids without papa. I wonder how she managed to smile without any crib and cry.

But now I knew that I have to lift those hefty boulders from her heart which she had piled up all these years.

So clearing that shield from her heart was my agenda.Believe me it was a tough job but yes I was able to dig a few stories which I will now share with you.

My dad was serving as a Company Commander in Home Guard Department, everything was going well but one day he left us without any clue of his whereabouts  leaving my mom with three kids, the youngest one was eleven months old. The only thing we  knew was that he was mentally upset from sometime now, he had quit talking to everyone in the house, sometimes he whispered they will take me soon (we still don't know what that meant).

I now understand the meaning of these lines by mom  "When someone dies, sooner or later we accept the loss but if someone leaves us without adieu, a hope to see him never fades."

My brother was confused as to what joke were we cracking, our eyes filled with tears and I reassuringly asked my mom..ok..so, pants of a flying fox..right...

After almost begging and kneeling  I managed to take out some episodes of "jab mom met dad".

My dad had seen my mom at her workplace that one look made him follow her. One evening he landed at mamma's home to talk to her father, my mom did'nt had any clue who he was, but being six feet tall, dark and handsome it was easy for him to draw the attention of my aunts. My uncle acting as a spy was able to gather some information. With a lot of excitement he asked my mom, did you see the flying fox. Everybody was confused "Flying fox" he grabbed mom from her hand and asked her to peep from the window to see the man wearing ankle-length pants, a slim-fitted coat styled with pair of brogues. I must say, dad had a very good choice of wearing clothes, but I wonder why they all laughed and teased mom when they came to know that he is the one who with all his confidence came alone to meet my grandfather, to ask him if he could marry his beautiful daughter.

As my mom says, you never know what is planned for you, I too got fascinated with the stars on his uniform, unaware of the fact that I will get to see a dead moon in some time.

Believe me, this is one of the rarest true love stories which she is very shy of accepting.

She adamantly says no and never "I know my man" When someone says he must have left you for some other woman.

Recently we met an officer from his coy, he said I have seen Saab Ji (Dad) in Haridwar as a sage. One more person who knew dad said he has seen him in Maha Kumbh again as a saint.

We don't know any if's this is true neither we have any questions from him, as my mom says, we are happy if he has chosen this path, but wish we could see him once. It's been 30 years since we have not seen that flying fox...

After these many years, he should once see how his two little angels have now flown to lit someone else's home, to see his granddaughter who mistakenly says naanu to her naani.. to see how handsome his son is and to see, how a beautiful lady, now with her wrinkled face and white hair, with her still eyes waits to see those pants on that flying fox...