ultimate gift

The room was almost dark with just that fading light of the candle. With a tilted head and a hand on the face, mom was staring at the cake laid over the table. Her eyes were as vacant as the sea, and tears were dropping down from that silent face. Suddenly the door bell rings to break that eerie silence. Mom wakes up from her thoughts, takes a deep breath and opens up the door. Her eyes got lit up at the very sight of the person standing out there. She broke into loud cries and hugged him tight. It was john, her son. He was back after a complete year!!

John, a spoilt brat of a middle class, simple family, 19 years of age, was the only child to his parents. His father was just a bank manager, so couldn’t afford much of his so called high society life style. But still, gave him more than he could have and probably, should have. His friends, all of them, had a lavish life. Their dad’s had enough money so that they could live the way they wanted to. John tried to match with their steps but of course couldn’t. He felt humiliated with this realisation and so got very frustrated at times. And who was the sufferer of all this? His parents obviously!! They took everything without even uttering a single word and even the fact that their son was ashamed of them! Due to this very thing, not even a single friend of his knew who his parents were. This was the life they lived.

His birthday was about to come. This time john wanted a new car. His dad drove a scooter and he, who does the sole work of giving pain, drove a nice and a comfortable car. But now he’s bored of it so wants a new one. This was now beyond his parents reach. Dad tried to convince him with every possible way he could but to no respite. He just wanted a car, that’s it! Poor dad finally gave up and said a no. This made John so angry that he left the house on his birthday. Mom was left sobbing and waiting with the cake on the table, as always, and dad, he was just left repenting his own birth.

As soon as he stepped out, the only place he could think of was of his best friend. He went there and told him everything. The first question Jose, his friend, asked him with a hand over his shoulder was, “for how long are you going to stay?” john lost his total control on hearing this. He banged the door hard and left for the bus stand. His arrogance was such that he didn’t go back to his own place but instead preferred going to an unknown one. Somehow he managed to get on a bus, but had no idea about its destination. The guy was boarding it for the first time! With a totally messed up head, he travelled for about 80 km, but was thrown out for behaving roughly with people. He checked into a nearby motel with enough money for his 2 days regular life, but what after that? He’s not even qualified for a clerical job, he thought. But still, didn’t want to compromise with the luxury. 3rd day, every single penny gone .

John’s moving by the road, window shopping, as, actual shopping required money! All of a sudden, out of nowhere, fragrance of hamburger, pizza, sandwich, and of every other food item started to tickle his nostrils, and there were crying like noises from his stomach. He was hungry and desperately wanted food. Unwillingly, he had to lower down his pride so went into a restaurant for a job. He gets the job of a waiter. Dressed in a black and white suit, with a bow on his collar, he takes his first serving to the customer and gets a tip of 2 cents.

This was a severe blow to his pride and with this rage inside, he threw the coin over to the customer’s face and left. Fuming and annoyed, he’s walking by the lane downstairs with everything empty-hands, pocket and stomach but with one great realisation in his head. Every single second made him realise the intensity of his parent’s love for him. They made sure to fulfil each of his acquired need and now is the time, when not even his basic needs are met!

Times change! The guy who had all the luxuries in his bedroom, which most of the people could only dream of, was lying outside a closed shop, in a veranda, without even a mattress!

This was for the first time that john had a tear in his eye, not because of the hardships he was facing, but because of the fact that he, till date, compared his parent’s love to the amount of worldly things they could provide, and questioned them for the same. And soon this single tear shaped into a stream of unstoppable guilt and emotions. This night, perhaps was unknowingly, the luckiest night for john’s family.

From the very next day, john searched for a job with a new determination inside. He could’ve easily gone back home, as his parents would always welcome him, he knew, but didn’t as he wanted to make up for some of his wrong doings. Months passed. John is a part time waiter at that same very restaurant from the first day, and goes to college for the rest of the day. The way he talks, the way he behaves, everything he does, is just like a guy any parent could dream of.

It’s his birthday today. And he’s got the biggest gift in his hand and that’s his graduation degree. This was the perfect time to go home, to the mom who would be, as always, waiting with a cake over the table and expecting every next phone call to be from her son, and to the dad, who perhaps would’ve collected all the money needed to buy his son the car he demanded of, an year ago. But, john is going in the car he has bought, with his own money, for dad.

Parents are perhaps God’s most beautiful creations in this universe. Never question them for the love and care they provide us as we don’t know how much they have to struggle just to see that smile on our face. I love you mom and dad.