Son Found A New Role Model

A home becomes heaven after a child is born. From his birth to his youth, his parents nurture him unconditionally; they remain in pain only to offer the best life to their children. With the arrival, the parents live on cloud nine.

Once, an ambulance driver worked overtime to sponsor his son's higher education. In his childhood, he never got a full meal to eat; he never went to any school as he was an orphan. After his birth, his life and luck began to shine. So, he pledged to give him the best education, and for that, he slept on an empty stomach and visited many shrines.

As time passed, all the home expenses grew, but he never gave up; he carried all the burdens on his shoulders. At times, when his son fell sick, he remained awake throughout the night. His overbearingness became his weakness. He became a milking cow; his son sucked all his wealth; his skin grew pale, and his muscular body was reduced to a mere skeleton. Towards the fag end of his job, he grew timid, weak, and sunken. His hunger was lost, his stomach frost, and he was about to lose his vision. The last wish he had was not to live as a son's burden; rather, he would prefer to die anonymously as an unholy soul, denied a home in heaven. On the other hand, his son grew tall, even taller than his father's chin. He disliked his thatch home where they were living. With every passing day, he got a fear that always frightened his father. If his father died, his education would stop, and his life would dampen.

One day, the driver got a letter for his farewell party from a hospital man. He was very happy, as for him there would be a special ceremony. In honour of his service and duty, all would give a standing ovation. Nobody knew him in the hospital. On his last day, he would meet all the staff. He called his son to show the letter of that special occasion. His son shrugged it off, called it just a joke, and cursed his low profession. He said, "Who would attend the farewell of a driver as nobody knew him except the transport supervisor?" The poor old father did not mind the piercing words of his son. Since his birth, he has been hurting him as the epitome of a childish protean. His mother died just seconds after his birth, so he became his father and mother in the world of the mundane.

 The son was not ready to accompany him as a companion. He pleaded, begged, and cried before him in persuasion, and finally, his son agreed reluctantly with one condition that the driver would not tell anyone about their relationship. He could not sleep during that night but anxiously waited for that occasion.

 On the next day, he woke up early as it was the last day of his job. He cleaned his vehicle, which shone like a precious stone. Like every day, he wore his uniform and asked his son to get into the ambulance. His son felt ashamed of his father's low profession but reluctantly occupied the front seat. On the way, his old father shared the memories of his initial days of fun. How once he was rushed to the hospital with a normal human who panicked and cried with minor chest pain. To his son, all appeared unworthy of memory but were heard without any interest or admiration. His stories had no sense as they were from the mouth of an idiot man like his father.

 He reached the entrance of the big auditorium. No single soul was there; the place looked deserted and barren. But one man was there at the gate who could recognise him. He greeted him, hugged him, and mingled as an old companion. The son mocked him, telling him that he was very right in his opinion, but the driver was not pained. He knew the nature of the duty of every physician. Even they never went home for days and weeks to save a million lives. They never stopped to work, therefore the whole of mankind sustained. They waited there for an hour or so.

 Every bang of a big clock hung on the painted wall worried the son. His father had already wasted his time; he could not wait even for a fraction. Like a restless sprinter, the son escaped from the place in a hurried motion without the knowledge of the driver. On the other hand, like a helpless convict, the father sat in a corner. Still, he had hopes that his dutiful service was worthy of recognition. On every call, he drove patients to the hospital with full devotion. All his days of the past—his childhood, his youth—he revisited them all. Memories were like treasures of the golden past; he wished to cherish them forever. A slumber caught him like a hooked fish in a lazy afternoon, but a sudden bang of the big door broke his sleep. Suddenly flashes of lights were put on him. He rose from his seat in panic as the place was filled with all humans. 

 

The stage was set; the speakers were blown as his name was called on and on. One man came with a decorated bouquet of roses. He took him onto the stage where the chief of the hospital stood in an apron. The place buzzed with murmurs and burst with clapping millions. His eyes could not believe the sight of that dreamy occasion. A blessed man was he, and his happiness was beyond any imagination. A few known faces in the audience cleared his hallucination. What a proud moment! He searched for his beloved son in vision.

 The chief came closer to him to greet him as if he were a saint. He hugged him tightly and patted him on the back with a broad smile filled with affection. The entire hall clapped as if he had defeated an enemy of the nation. No voice could be heard as the entire audience cheered him and shouted his name in mad oblivion. The hall was silent when the chief held the microphone to speak. All glued to him as the old driver was the centre of the attraction. He declared proudly that the driver was an asset to the hospital and would remain an inspiration for the younger generation. He had never taken a day's leave in his tenure of 35 years of service and was a gem of devotion. In thirty-five years of service, he had saved more than a thousand humans. All the relatives of the saved ones were present there to bestow special recognition. All formed a long queue with gifts and flowers to shower their affection. Still, his eyes searched for his son to share the fame disproportion, but he could not find him. 

 

Outside the auditorium, his son stood like a sinner who had been denied his entry into heaven. He had betrayed his father for his entire life. All his wishes of realisation had no meaning. The deafening noises of clapping and loud shouts of his father's name by the audience were so powerful. Life without recognition was like bubbles of water in the rain. Suddenly it started drizzling. He took shelter in the security room. The security man immediately recognised him. He said, Your father is a great man. Everyone here respects him. You are lucky to have been born to such a godly father." He had no answer. The man pushed him out of the room and said, "This is a special moment. Just go and witness it!"

 He was feeling guilty. He walked slowly to a corner and watched the anti-climax like a blasphemous demon. Now, he could not control his emotions and started crying in silence. The continuous clapping filled his heart with pride, and churned in a divine realization. His tears of penance thus cleansed his soul blinded in greed and ambition. He found a new role model in his life; he would revere him as an ideal divine.