Thirteenth Day Before Die

The thirteenth day before dying.

              

There was an employee in a government big organization where more than two hundred employees of various cadres worked to gather in different units. He was really jolly by nature. He used to talk with everybody with a smiling face. Nobody dared to avoid talking with him. There were much known personnel of other government organizations in contact with him. Whenever there was any function in some employ’s families, he was always invited with respect to their functions. During his entire service period, he attended plenty of functions in his life. But he noticed that most of the employees would attend the family function of their colleagues when they were only in the job. Once the employee gets retired from the job, the number of friends attending the family’s functions gets reduced marginally with time. There were number of occasion where nobody from parent's office was present in the function even after face to face invitation to them. He found that friends who retired with him would avoid the functions too.

           

He thought that there would be vast intimacy among the colleagues during their job. If something wrong happened with any employee, they would meet with him asking for any help to him from them. Everybody would inquire and deeply worried about the concerned employee. If any employee dead on the job, most of the employees would attend the funeral and pay him tributes. The same respect was not paid to the retired colleagues of the organization and from his friend circle.

              

He was very shocked by this practical tradition in his life. When he arranged many functions in his family like the birthday of his kids, the wedding of children, funeral of parents, all his friends and colleagues were present at the function. He was on the verge of retirement. But his past experience wasn’t so good. He was worried about his retirement life as a man is to be wise after the event. He used to remain cold feet before retirement. All colleagues would ask him the reason behind his odd behaviour against his earlier jolly nature.

           

He was a very successful employee in his career. He built his own nice home well in time. He educated all his kids in very reputed educational institutions. His kids were big fish in society. He had a beautiful educated, cultured daughter-in-law. His son-in-law was a fat cat in some government organization. He had a couple of grandsons and granddaughters from both wings. There was a good deposit from saving. The physical health of the couple absolutely seemed to be sound. There wasn’t see anything wrong in his life before his retirement. He had already completed all major responsibilities in his life. He would get a handsome amount in cash at the time of retirement. Even though he used to remain worried before superannuation, nobody was able to understand his genuine problem.

            

There was a wonderful idea in his mind. He wanted to exercise that idea in his life before dying. He then returned to normalcy as before. Everybody was shocked by his recent behaviour, but they were happy as their collogue was all right as usual. Just before his retirement month. He printed an invitation card of his own thirteenth-day function before dying. Even though he was living, but he was distributing that card to everybody face to face requesting them to attend the function without any hesitation. If they wouldn’t come to the function, he would be cold feet with them forever. Whenever some of them questioned about this madness, he would answer that they would come to know after arrival at the function. The secrete would be opened to everybody in the function on the scheduled date. Everybody was taken aback by this silly act.  

Everybody was eager to know the real fact about his thirteenth day before died. It was a grand function at the venue mentioned on the invitation card. Most of his friends and office colleagues were present at the function. His family members were also present. But nobody was ready, to tell the truth to anybody. They asked everybody to wait and watch. There was a host photo kept on the table which was decorated as generally seen on such a day. Everybody was coming and putting his tribute to departed soul. He had been sitting just by the photo of the departed soul. He was asking all respected guests for lunch. He made excellent arrangements for sitting and lunch. Every guest was pleased by the provided services in their honour. There was an announcement by a family member that his father would address the present mob. He started addressing all the present mob. He expressed his gratitude to the mob for attending such an informal function. He told the mob why he had kept such function before his death. when we passed away from this world, our family members arranged such type of function as costmary as per religious faith. But the departed soul already left his body. He didn’t know about guests, friends and colleagues who were present at the function. Their presence in such arranged function after death was foolish and futile as the departed soul got away from his loving people. He, therefore, wanted to know who would like to attend his function. He was happy to know that all his beloved relatives, friends and colleague were present memorial, a remarkable, strange un-traditional function.  

He thought that he had seen his thirteen-day function live. There would not be any need in the future to arrange such function after their departed soul of his.