A Decade of a Different Kind...

Today, its 10 years…10 years since there lived a man who taught me how to live… 10 years since I could see in that man’s eyes brilliant dreams of his daughters reaching the zenith of success…10 years since that man looked into my eyes and said…”there’s no point in trying so hard, I already know what’s stored in that heart”…10 years since our family was reduced to 3 survivors from a close knit foursome…10 years since I’ve felt my dad’s hand on my head…kept my hand on his heart… its been a decade of wandering in a world that no longer seems the same…

My dad…who had blind faith in his two daughters and their success, when they didn’t even know how to spell the word…my dad, who was proud of his daughters when they had no achievements in their bags to show the world… my dad, who didn’t live to see the day I brought my very first General Proficiency medal home…or the day the Loreto Medal or the Nihil Ultra Trophy came to adorn my shelves forever…the day my little sister proved everyone wrong and passed her Higher Secondary Exams with flying colours…or the day she left behind over 75,000 examinees to be one of the 75 who made it to NID… my dad who dreamt so many dreams with open eyes and didn’t live to see even one come true… God, didn’t you owe him one DREAM-COME-TRUE?

Funny thing is, when he spoke of his two daughters with that twinkle in his eyes, neither of us understood the value of these dreams…neither of us realized the value of having someone who has more confidence in you than yourself…and today, when I do, all I can afford to do is offer a bunch of yellow roses and a garland on his photograph…and a promise to make his dreams come true NO MATTER WHAT…with the hope that he’s watching… he’s watching every move…

If only I’d have known that I’d end up believing he’s there somewhere, watching us, and never actually get to see him around…I’d have given him something to be proud of before he left… all I know now is the value of a parent…the value of having someone to shout at, fight with and walk out on, only to come back, say sorry and expect to be forgiven and accepted back with outstretched arms every single time… I know there will be a day when these people won’t be there… and I know that at the end of the day, being there in spirit is a hell lot different than REALLY being there… I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!