( ill treatment of parents due to one reason or the other is rampant and surprisingly cuts across geographical,economic and financial divide)
My dear Papaji,
Forgive and forget. Please bury the past and return home immediately. You know your doll ‘Teetee’ hasn’t eaten a morsel in past four days. Teetee is running high fever and Teetu refuses to go to school without grandpa chaperoning. Mini hasn’t stepped in the kitchen ever since you left without any information whatsoever. Forget fresh and the cheaper, there is none to fetch veggies at all. How long one can survive eating home delivery pizza. Dad! Your going like this is a nightmare for me. Fearing housebreak I wake up several times in the middle of night. When you were there your bed near the main gate was such a relief. Moreover, your constant coughing spasms and frequent rounds to toilet were such a potent weapon against any theft. These were more than enough to ward off the bravest of thieves. You know how common the thefts are in our colony. Thefts are taking place during the broad day itself. Thieves are left with no moral standards only; they make good their escape even with wet clothes left in courtyard for drying up.
Forgive and forget. Please bury the past and return home immediately. You know your doll ‘Teetee’ hasn’t eaten a morsel in past four days. Teetee is running high fever and Teetu refuses to go to school without grandpa chaperoning. Mini hasn’t stepped in the kitchen ever since you left without any information whatsoever. Forget fresh and the cheaper, there is none to fetch veggies at all. How long one can survive eating home delivery pizza. Dad! Your going like this is a nightmare for me. Fearing housebreak I wake up several times in the middle of night. When you were there your bed near the main gate was such a relief. Moreover, your constant coughing spasms and frequent rounds to toilet were such a potent weapon against any theft. These were more than enough to ward off the bravest of thieves. You know how common the thefts are in our colony. Thefts are taking place during the broad day itself. Thieves are left with no moral standards only; they make good their escape even with wet clothes left in courtyard for drying up.
My sweet Papaji, you see which household is free from petty squabbles. As they say if four utensils are there in kitchen they are bound to clatter. I would not have insisted so much for your return but for the fact that this two BHK house is in your name. I always have this lurking apprehension that this no good RP might have misled you. Though he is my elder brother but who doesn’t know he is less a brother more a butcher. Mini could know him in one glance. She always tells me “you are such a naive… learn something from your brother”.
My Papa best! Just think, does it augur well for a mature man like you? So what if you were asked to wash Mini’s clothes once in a while. Isn’t she like your own daughter? Didn’t you always teach us to work hard? What is this? You know how Mini is taunting ever since.
My Papa strongest! Don’t mind it. I am not able to show my face at home. As they say, you have cut my nose. You think it was such a big deal to wash Mini’s garments, that too, in washing machine. Now this imported washing machine of fifty thousand is just lying idle. Please come back, if not for us at least for machine’s sake.
My sweet Papa! Times have changed. You know how costly domestic help are these days. Moreover, you don’t get trusted ones any more.
My darling Papa! Enough is enough, please return. Would you leave your own son… your own blood in lurch like this? You can’t be so mean. Although Mini always suspected your selfish ways but I didn’t take her seriously. Now that you are gone for a month, I am beginning to believe her. You are not the same old Papa of mine. Now you see! Buying veggies carting grocery, bringing milk, baby sitting and caretaking ones own household is no work. Even if it is a work, if not you, the owner, who else will do it. I fail to understand what is wrong in doing ones own work. How can one run away from ones own home. You forgot what you preached us “one should never turn away ones back from responsibilities”. See dad! What have you done? Truly speaking due to you I am ashamed to show my face in the colony. All the friends of Mini in kitty party, card party, gym, club and cocktail pass sarcastic remarks. My superman papa! What has gone into you in this ripe age? Please come back soon. It’s so very lonely without you. Are you aware, our house is full of cobwebs and cockroaches, When you were there every other day you would be seen cleaning the cobwebs clinging precariously from windows. With you around, no spider or cockroach could cross our path.
Adorable Papaji! After you left, the rooms present such a sorry sight. The way you would scrub floor leaving each room shining like mirror. Mini always used to joke “… in your family no one can clean the floor like Papa does”. You see Papa! We leave no forum where we do not go gaga admiring you while you chose to leave us low and fry. So long mom was alive did we ever ask you to clean up the floor…? Never! Remember Pa! How mom used to get up early in the morning, complete all household chores much before Mini got up. You didn’t learn a single lesson from mom. Why should one hesitate doing ones own home work.
My respected Papaji is eighty years of age. His eye sight is failing (spectacles had broken) hands tremble, is wearing untidy Kurta Payjama and much repaired pair of slippers. Any one offering clue leading to him will be amply rewarded. Dearest Papaji, please come soon. None would say anything to you. Please forget and forgive. You forget, we forgive.
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