A FATHER'S TALE

‘Papa, am I going to die?’

George took the small, feeble hand of Saira inside his. He couldn't utter anything instantly. He was under the oppression of a losing father.

‘Papa, please tell me. Why are you quiet? Am I going to die?’ the eight-year old lass said putting all her energy together. She knew his papa would tell her the truth soon.

George raised his eyes to his severely ailing daughter. Saira has just begun her life. But God has different plan for her.

‘Don’t worry darling.’ George felt his voice chocking. Today morning when he was praying in the church he felt God wants him to tell her the truth. ‘God has promised to me to let you stay with us for two more years. He is so kind. He always keeps the promises.’

‘That means I will die after two years, Papa?’ Saira’s voice sounded faint and dull.

‘God will take you from us for some time and then………………………’ George murmured as the painful plight plundering every bit of his soul.

‘And then what Papa?’

‘He will return you to us.’ George tried to ease out his voice.

‘Why God wants to take me away from you now?’ Saira didn’t seem to be much convinced.

‘He will cure your disease completely and then send you back to us.’ George tried his best to keep the smile intact in his face. But he never knew it is such a difficult task.

‘Why can’t Doctor Uncle cure me?’ Saira argued.

‘Oh dear,yours is not an easy disease to treat. Only God can treat and cure you. He is the best Physician of all. He can cure all ailments. He can give you the best comfort.’

 

Nephroblastoma of kidney. That was what Dr. Devesh had told George about Saira’s disease. ‘A rare fatal tumor that can drastically reduce the longevity of a person. We will put our best effort but chances are very limited.’

‘Why God has chosen my daughter to suffer from this incurable illness, Doctor? Why?’ George couldn’t control his emotions. Every bit of his soul was crying out in burrowing frustration.

‘We don’t know George. The Medical Science is still silent on this. We can only try leaving the rest to God.’ The warmth of Dr. Devesh’s consoling hand turned cold in no time.

The next challenge was gathering money for the soaring cost of Saira’s chemotherapy. Geroge’s monthly take-home salary was four thousand rupees while the chemo would take no less than five thousand per month. George had neither physical assets nor inherited properties to sell off. There was no one to stretch a helping hand. His provident fund had been already depleted for mother’s treatment and sister’s marriage.  When the last flame of hope was about to die God sent two angels to him.  Mr. and Mrs. Khan. Mr. Khan was a Dubai-based, multi-millionaire businessman with a strong philanthropist mind while his multi-talented wife was involved with a number of social welfare projects. One day they discovered George quietly shedding tears in front of the hospital entrance. After knowing about his helpless situation Khan Couple made on-spot decision to bear the whole treatment cost of Saira. ‘Don’t bother about the money. That would be our headache now. Look after your daughter. Leave the rest on Almighty.’ George lost words to reciprocate his gratitude to them. Their kindness won over his entire earthly existence.

Dr. Devesh couldn’t give Saira more than a year time. They operated on her small body twice. But things only deteriorated following that. The doze of chemo was enhanced to only squeeze out her limited vitality. Gloria, Geoge’s wife and Saira’s mother was slowly dipping into depression. George lengthened the duration of prayer. ‘Give her some more time God, to stay with us. Please. One year will be a punishment. Don’t punish our daughter for us.’

Saira lived for three years putting her doctors under a series of surprises. She breathed her last with a hope that her father had sown in her mind. She will be sent back by God soon after her recovery in heaven.

 

After Saira’s demise Gloria was all of a sudden restless to conceive their second child. ‘I can’t wait anymore. We have to bring her back. You promised to her. We must keep your promise to her, together.’

But God had once again shown a different flow of thought for the couple. Gloria‘s pregnancy ended up with a number of complexities. At one point of time George felt he is about to lose his wife as well. But she survived. So the newborn, a boy this time.

‘No more pregnancy after that. Her heart condition is not so good. It can even kill her.’ Cautioned the doctor.

Their happiness knew no bounds after having the boy. They named him Deepak. At the same time Gloria found some solace in her mind. But not George.

‘God, won’t you ever give her back to us?’

Gloria slowly got over the bereavement as Deepak grew up. Her world revolved around the boy. She couldn’t breathe for a second without him. George started feeling a bit relieved by seeing Gloria’s growing happiness but his mind still remained restless.

His soul was crying for his lost daughter. How can he get her back as he promised to her on her death-bed? Going through another episode of pregnancy might endanger Gloria’s life to a great extent. He just can’t think of losing his wife.

Saira often visited him in his dreams. Most of the time she asked the same question, ‘Papa when you bring me back from God? See, I am alright now. God has cured my nephroblastoma totally.’

Gloria’s careful eyes didn’t bypass the ongoing distress of her husband.

She conceived once more to fulfill his wish to get back Saira. 

The attending doctor put her on bed-rest from the very first day of the pregnancy. George appointed a maid to look after their son though Gloria wanted every activity of her son to be done in front her eyes.

But God had again a different plan altogether for them.

Gloria had a sudden severe heart attack one day. She took no time to succumb to that. The whole world broke on George’s head.

‘Why me every time? Why me?’

His conviction, his righteousness, his faith confronted a massive jolt. He stopped going to church. He stopped his prayer.

Gloria’s most unfortunate and untimely passing away brought massive change in the stream of his life.

Man proposes, God disposes. Man then compromises. George also adjusted with the low tide of life. Because he still had Deepak with him.

His entire life centered on his son.

He put up Deepak in one of the most prominent schools of the town. Deepak was a brilliant boy. He passed the school and high school with memorable results. He always wanted to be a Computer Engineer. And he made that with flying colors by stepping into the prestigious IIT for his Engineering graduation.

George so far never offered any prayer to God. His mind was preoccupied with his son’s meteoric rise in the academic field. He never felt to pray to God for his son’s success. He was confident his son would rise without a prayer.

After graduation Deepak journeyed to US for his masters. And he never came back from there. George got utterly disappointed but never expressed that in words. He was missing Deepak terribly. His disappointment escalated when he heard one day Deepak has married a Spanish girl in US and fathered a child.

He felt he has now lost his son to be alone in the world.

 

Deepak often insisted him to come to US and stay with them. He already purchased a new house in Florida. It was a palatial mansion with an attached swimming pool and golf-course. He wanted to show his ailing lonely father his glorious assets. He wanted to see the old man enjoying a bit luxury at the f*g end of his life.

But George declined. He found it too difficult to leave the house which has been carrying the memories of her Saira and Gloria since long.

 

He was also not well, down with gout, diabetes and high blood pressure and following a long list of medicines and dietary restrictions. He knew his days were numbered. Death can snap at any time to make a full-stop to his journey of life.

That day he got up early to take a stroll in the small garden adjacent to his house. He couldn’t sleep well last night. Saira came to his sleep several times. His mind was extremely restless.

Are my days really numbered?

All of a sudden, a cab stopped at his house. Who came at these early hours of the morning? George had hardly any visitors these days to his house.

He was surprised.

His surprise knew no bounds when he saw Deepak getting down from the cab. There was a tall, blonde woman with him. George recognized instantly. His Spanish wife.

 

‘Deepak, Beta, what a pleasant surprise. You had never given me a hint that you are coming.’ George rushed to him and locked his son in the tightest hug.’ You have come after ten long years. I lost all hopes of your coming back, Beta.’

Deepak introduced him with his wife Martha. The girl perfectly put on a salwar kurta. She bent down spontaneously to touch George’s feet. A strong sense of satisfaction filled in George’s heart. All disappointment that heaped over years for Deepak was wiped off in no time.

‘Beki, come out baby. See who is welcoming us? Your grandpa. ’Deepak peeped through the cab and called someone inside. A small girl, hardly five to six years of age jumped off the car.

‘Beki, here is your grandpa. Say namaste to him.’

The girl said ‘hi’ to George in a typical American accent.

George became breathless for the moment. His heart stopped. The whole world was vigorously shaken. He couldn’t just believe his own eyes.

It was his lost daughter Saira in front of him.

‘Say namaste to him Beki. I told you so many times to say namaste. And touch his feet the way I and Mom did just now.’ George couldn’t hear what Deepak was saying to his daughter. His eyes were blurred. His voice chocked.

He knelt down before the girl and broke down in tears.

Saira, my baby, my darling you are really back to my life again!

‘How can I touch his feet? He just kneelt down….look Dad, he is crying too. Why he is crying?’ Beki’s soft, shrill voice hit his ears. George strongly felt he was hearing Saira after so many years.

‘Give him a hug. ‘Said Martha to her daughter. ‘He is so happy to see you that he couldn’t control his tears.’

George took the girl in his arms, tenderly kissed her forehead the way he used to do many years back to Saira and wanted to pass all his vitality and warmth to this girl through his uninterrupted blessings.

‘Pardon me Lord for my abysmal ignorance. You are so kind to me! I never got a hint of that.’ He couldn't think anything else after muttering those words deep inside his heart.

 

Reviews

[Lyndy]

Wow, this story is very touching! Thanks for sharing. :D

[Leslie Philibert]

Impressive, full of emotions....

[A. H. Pinley]

‘Why does God want to take me away from you?’
'Oh dear, yours is not an easy disease to treat.'
'We can only try leaving the rest to God.'
Made some corrections.

[SUGATA M]

Thank you so much for the editing work. Highly appreciated.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you for the beautiful story with a lesson. You need to publish a book. Your stories worthwhile and a powerful read. The story was outstanding. Need to be read by many.
Coyote

[SUGATA M]

Thank you so much for your kind words.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome.