Vacations have always been very trying and
taxing for me. First, because I do not travel too often and second, the
excitement of it is marred by the rescheduling of the time-table for a
couple of weeks. I have always felt home where I have lived the longest.
But certain things are mandatory in life and one just can't help but put through it rather than attempting to push the envelope.
This incident takes me back to the year 2002, when I was taking my first vacation in 5 years and travelling to India with my wife Huma and a 5 year old son, Kaleem.
Shopping gifts for the loved ones in full swing as every evening after office, we would go out to buy clothes, chocolates, etc for our relatives. This went on for quite a few days and then came a day when I knew that we had already shopped enough and had exceeded the travelling weight limit. One evening just two days before flying, Huma asked me that she needed to buy some more chocolates separately for her. This demand baffled me as it was very much unlike her to ask for chocolates and second I did not want to carry an additional bag. I jokingly enquired if she needed these for her to eat, as I knew she did not eat much sweets. Whenever given one, she would nibble it and would give the remaining part to me. I reminded her that we had already bought enough and there was no chance we could accomodate more weight and I was in no mood to pay excess baggage costs merely for chocolates. She insisted on buying them and to compensate for the excess weight, she was ready to partake some clothes from her suitcase. I tried to see reason in her argument but failed to as she did not tell me why she needed more chocloates and why she was ready to cut down some clothes from her baggage. Finally, we again went to the market and she bought all kinds of chocolates that she knew Kaleem loved eating. When she was done with it, I took the bag and kept it on the weighing scale and my mouth opened wide as the chococates weighed an unnecessary 6 kgs. I turned to her and asked her to look at the scale. She said that she was fine with the weight and would rearrange the bags. Still, I was disturbed as I never liked travelling excess baggage and here I had to as she was quite persistent about the chocolates.
Bags were rearranged and the excess chocolates were ready to fly with us in a totally separate bag.
A flying start to the holidays took place and we reached India. It took us a couple of days to distribute the gifts and the bags were empty except for our clothes and the extra bag of chocolates.
Few days had already passed and I kept looking at the bag asking her what she intended doing with those chocolates. She asked me to leave them to her and feel relieved as she would take care of them.
At this point I was really intrigued about the chocolates because as far I knew, we had distributed the gifts amongst our relatives and friends. There remained literally nothing to be given to anybody. The next day she got up a bit early and woke Kaleem as well and were ready to step out of the house with the bag of the chocolates when I got up from my sleep and called them to wait. She said that she would be back in an hour or two and I could stay at home till she comes back. Looking at the bag of the chocolates in her hand, I got inquisitive and wanted to know to whom the bag was going to be delivered. I insisted that she wait for me as I would accompany her. She relented and I joined her along with the bag of chocolates.
The rickshaw stopped at a place near the railway station and we got down and entered a dilapidated building. I tried to read the board on the entrance gate but it was not clearly readable. We entered through the main door and were greeted by a middle aged woman. She asked us to take the seats right across her. Huma asked her that she had come to distribute some chocolates to the children staying there. I asked the woman about the place and she said that the building housed 210 boys and girls, aged from 3 to 14. Once the messenger was in sight, she asked him to call the girls out from the dormitory and stand in a line. The girls came out and Huma & Kaleem started distributing the chocolates to the girls - four to ten year old, they were standing in a line and waited for their turn to come and take the chocolates. Few girls who were old enough did not come out and Huma went in to give the chocolates to them. Then came the boys and took a chocolate as their turn came. Kaleem was distributing these chocolates and there came a moment, when a 5 year old boy came to take a chocolate. He was just Kaleem's age. I looked into his eyes as he took the chocolate and still stood there and did not move. Looking at the innocent desire of this boy, my eyes welled up and I took a chocolate from Kaleem's hand and gave it to him. Overwhelmed by my own predicament I left the room immediately. The harsh reality of life was stark naked right in front of my eyes and I could not see beyond my tears. I came out of the gate and looked up at the board hanging in front of the building and tried to read it but could only just read that it was an orphanage. I stood there thanking God for keeping me alive to give chocolates to my son.
Few minutes later, Huma came out of the building with the empty bag and we took the rickshaw back home. I looked at Kaleem who was eating a chocolate. I could not utter a single word though wanted to talk a lot to Huma about this. But certain emotions are best left unsaid.
That day I realised that Huma did not eat sweets but the sweet, delicious, mouth watering taste of the chocolates had somehow reached her soul.
But certain things are mandatory in life and one just can't help but put through it rather than attempting to push the envelope.
This incident takes me back to the year 2002, when I was taking my first vacation in 5 years and travelling to India with my wife Huma and a 5 year old son, Kaleem.
Shopping gifts for the loved ones in full swing as every evening after office, we would go out to buy clothes, chocolates, etc for our relatives. This went on for quite a few days and then came a day when I knew that we had already shopped enough and had exceeded the travelling weight limit. One evening just two days before flying, Huma asked me that she needed to buy some more chocolates separately for her. This demand baffled me as it was very much unlike her to ask for chocolates and second I did not want to carry an additional bag. I jokingly enquired if she needed these for her to eat, as I knew she did not eat much sweets. Whenever given one, she would nibble it and would give the remaining part to me. I reminded her that we had already bought enough and there was no chance we could accomodate more weight and I was in no mood to pay excess baggage costs merely for chocolates. She insisted on buying them and to compensate for the excess weight, she was ready to partake some clothes from her suitcase. I tried to see reason in her argument but failed to as she did not tell me why she needed more chocloates and why she was ready to cut down some clothes from her baggage. Finally, we again went to the market and she bought all kinds of chocolates that she knew Kaleem loved eating. When she was done with it, I took the bag and kept it on the weighing scale and my mouth opened wide as the chococates weighed an unnecessary 6 kgs. I turned to her and asked her to look at the scale. She said that she was fine with the weight and would rearrange the bags. Still, I was disturbed as I never liked travelling excess baggage and here I had to as she was quite persistent about the chocolates.
Bags were rearranged and the excess chocolates were ready to fly with us in a totally separate bag.
A flying start to the holidays took place and we reached India. It took us a couple of days to distribute the gifts and the bags were empty except for our clothes and the extra bag of chocolates.
Few days had already passed and I kept looking at the bag asking her what she intended doing with those chocolates. She asked me to leave them to her and feel relieved as she would take care of them.
At this point I was really intrigued about the chocolates because as far I knew, we had distributed the gifts amongst our relatives and friends. There remained literally nothing to be given to anybody. The next day she got up a bit early and woke Kaleem as well and were ready to step out of the house with the bag of the chocolates when I got up from my sleep and called them to wait. She said that she would be back in an hour or two and I could stay at home till she comes back. Looking at the bag of the chocolates in her hand, I got inquisitive and wanted to know to whom the bag was going to be delivered. I insisted that she wait for me as I would accompany her. She relented and I joined her along with the bag of chocolates.
The rickshaw stopped at a place near the railway station and we got down and entered a dilapidated building. I tried to read the board on the entrance gate but it was not clearly readable. We entered through the main door and were greeted by a middle aged woman. She asked us to take the seats right across her. Huma asked her that she had come to distribute some chocolates to the children staying there. I asked the woman about the place and she said that the building housed 210 boys and girls, aged from 3 to 14. Once the messenger was in sight, she asked him to call the girls out from the dormitory and stand in a line. The girls came out and Huma & Kaleem started distributing the chocolates to the girls - four to ten year old, they were standing in a line and waited for their turn to come and take the chocolates. Few girls who were old enough did not come out and Huma went in to give the chocolates to them. Then came the boys and took a chocolate as their turn came. Kaleem was distributing these chocolates and there came a moment, when a 5 year old boy came to take a chocolate. He was just Kaleem's age. I looked into his eyes as he took the chocolate and still stood there and did not move. Looking at the innocent desire of this boy, my eyes welled up and I took a chocolate from Kaleem's hand and gave it to him. Overwhelmed by my own predicament I left the room immediately. The harsh reality of life was stark naked right in front of my eyes and I could not see beyond my tears. I came out of the gate and looked up at the board hanging in front of the building and tried to read it but could only just read that it was an orphanage. I stood there thanking God for keeping me alive to give chocolates to my son.
Few minutes later, Huma came out of the building with the empty bag and we took the rickshaw back home. I looked at Kaleem who was eating a chocolate. I could not utter a single word though wanted to talk a lot to Huma about this. But certain emotions are best left unsaid.
That day I realised that Huma did not eat sweets but the sweet, delicious, mouth watering taste of the chocolates had somehow reached her soul.
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