98. WITH ALL YOUR FONDNESS. PART THREE

WE STAYED IN CHENNAI STEADILY RUNNING CRAZILY FROM THRESHOLD TO THRESHOLD OF HELL A LOT OF OFFICES FOR THE KIDS PASSPORT. NOW IN AUTO, NOW SPRAWLED IN CALL TAXI AND STUFFED IN TOWN BUS. ONE HOT NOON I FELT COLLAPSING IN AN OFFICE LIFT, HEAD SPINNING AND SUDDENLY EVERYTHING BECOMING DARK.

FINALLY OUR GOOD GOD SMILED ON US AND WE HAD THE TATKAL PASSPORT FOR THE KID READY IN A WEEK. IT WAS A HECK A LOT OF GREAT NIGHTMARE, THOUGH.

BACK HOME WE HAD TO DO PACKAGING AND OTHER INDISPENSABLE SHOPPING WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS TO BE RIGHT ON FLIGHT. A DAY BEFORE THE FLIGHT WAS MY GRAND DAUGHTER’S BIRTH DAY AND I LOOKED AFTER THE ARRANGEMENT WITH THE HELP OF MY DAUGHTER AND SON.MY KID DONNED LIKE THE PRINCESS THAT DAY, BUT HIGHLY DISTRESSED.

IT WAS CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT WHEN THE FESTIVITY CAME TO AN END.

I WAS TIRED AS I WAS UNWELL WITH SUGAR AND HYPERTENSION. I RETIRED TO BED LONG BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. I WAS ABOUT FALLING SLEEP WHILE I FELT THE KID ON MY BED.

“DAD, YOU SLEPT?” SHE DEMANDED. “NAH, C’MON, WHATZ IT?” I ASKED

“SHOULD I LEAVE YOU AND GRAND MOM, DAD?” “ONCE FOR ALL?”” I DON WANNA LEAVE YOU ALL AND BE SOMEWHERE.”SHE HALF SLEPT SAYING THIS IN HER EXHAUSTION.

NEXT DAY IN THE CALL TAXI TO AIRPORT SHE SNATCHED OUT OF HER MOM AND MADE HER WAY TO ME IN FRONT SEAT, SILENTLY SOBBING,SPEAKING NOTHING,EYES WET, SHE DID NOT DARE SEE INTO MY EYES AND GRADUALLY SLEPT SERENELY.

THE FLIGHT TOOK OFF ON TIME; I DID NOT SEE HER OFF.BUT I WALKED DOWN TEN KM WAY BACK TO THE HOTEL, ALL ALONE IN MOUNTING GRIEF.

SOON AFTER MY GRAND DAUGHTER WAS GONE I REALLY BECAME LOVESICK.I USED TO STAY BEHIND ISOLATED. JUST SITTING LIKE AN UNHINGED URCHIN WHERE THIS KID WAS PLAYING WITH ME KICKING, SNATCHING AND DOING ALL LOOTIES.

VERY OFTEN I WOULD RUN TO THE HOSPITAL QUARTERS AND SIT DOWN LIKE A MAD MAN WITHOUT FOOD FOR HOURS BENEATH THE TAMARIND TREE WHERE I USED TO SING TO MAKE HER SLEEP.

THERE WAS A BIG WELL WHERE I USED TO CLIMB AND JUMP SAYING 123 TO FETCH HER LAUGH WHEN SHE WAS ADAMANT AND HER MOM WAS IN HOSPITAL WARD.I USED TO SIT THERE EVEN AFTER SUNDOWN.

NOW AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS!

SHE IS BACK HOME HERE TO MY ECSTASY!!!

SHE IS IN A DENTAL COLLEGE.

SHE LOVES HER GALAXY NOTE.

SHE LOVES HER ONLINE CHATS.

SHE HAS CREATED A NEW MICROCOSM OF HER OWN.

EATS LESS, TALKS TO NONE.

SHE THREW DOWN MY LENOVO PAD BREAKING IT TO PIECES.THE LENOVO GONE, I LOST ALL OUTSIDE COMMUNICATIONS.

LENOVO WAS MY CONNECTING LIFELINE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AT THIS AGE OF 75. MOREOVER IT WAS MY MATCHLESS GIFT FROM MY DAUGHTER.

IS THE REASON FOR HER CONFLICT: THE OBSESSION WITH SMART PHONE?

WITH ALL YOUR FONDNESS PART TWO

MY SON IN LAW, A PULMONOLOGIST IN GULF, NOW, WANTED MY GRAND DAUGHTER TO BE TAKEN BACK THERE AS THE KID WAS GETTING INTO FOUR YEARS OF HER AGE. MY DAUGHTER CAME HOME ALL ALONE FROM GULF TO GRAB HER FROM MY POSESSION.

IT WAS MID 2000 AND I WAS ABOUT TO RETIRE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.SHE SPOKE THIS AND THAT AND WON OVER ME THAT THE KID WOULD BEST BELONG TO WHERE HER PARENTS WERE. I WAS ABOUT TO CRY! SMASH MY HEAD AGAINST THE HOSPITAL MORTURY.  I COULD NOT PUT UP WITH THE THINKING OF HER SEVERANCE FROM ME. BY NOW SHE, I THOUGHT, WAS A PART OF ME.

BY NOW I THOUGHT THE KID BELONGED RIGHT HERE. RETIRING FROM A ROLE OF AUDITOR AND TAKING THE FULL CHARGE OF THIS KID WAS VERY MUCH A HEAVEN SEND ONE, I WAS CONVINCED.BY NOW I WAS TOTALLY CONVERSANT WITH HER LIKES AND DISLIKES, TASTES AND DISTASTES.

MY WIFE WAS A SCHOOL ASSISTANT AND TO HER TEACHING COMES FIRST AND FOREMOST. A RESPONSIBILITY CONSCIOUS TEACHER GRAND MOM SHE WAS, HAVING MORE TO TEACH THAN TO BE BY THE SIDE OF THE KID.

IT WAS HERE I GOT STUCK FAST IN A ROLE OF NANNY AND LOVED PLAYING THAT ROLE. A FRIEND. A PLAY MATE. A LIVING DOLL!!!AN OLD CLOWN!!!!

COME EVENING SHE WOULD BE READY FOR THE SCOOTER RIDE, AND SHE WOULD STOP RIGHT AT A FLORIST, HAVE HER FAVOURITE AND THEN OTHER THINGS. THIS KID WAS A VERY POOR EATER. I HAD TO TAKE HER TO SHOW HER BLARING LOCOMOTIVES, THEME PARKS AND SUCH THINGS TO FEED ONE BANANA FRUITE.

MY KID WAS LESS FRIENDLY TO HER GRAND MOM, AND FAVOURED MY FEEDING HER. SHE HAD TO BE TOLD DOZENS OF UNENDING STORIES BEFORE SHE FINISHED HER FEEDING.SHE TREASURED GIFTS AND SHE COLLECTED ALL HER GIFT ITEMS HIDDEN IN A DRESSING TABLE.

MY WIFE WAS A BIT STRICT AND WOULD LIKE THE KID TO SLEEP WITH HER. BUT SOON AFTER SHE SLEPT THIS KID WOULD SNEAK INTO MY BED.

MY GRAND DAUGHTER WAS BY NOW VERY MUCH AFFECTIONATE WITH ME.SHE WAS UNABLE TO BEAR MY ABSENCE EVEN FOR A SMALL WHILE.

WITH ALL YOUR FONDNESS

PRECEDING THREE NIGHTS NO GOOD SLEEP, MOSTLY, I WAS TIED TO THE COMPUTER. I HAVE NOT BEEN USING THIS SYSTEM AS I WAS VERY MUCH AFTER LENOVO THING.

THIS LENOVO HAS BEEN CLEVER AND WITH AN ANDROID, AND I WAS ABOUT DOING EVERYTHING VERY EFFORTLESS.

THIS WAS AN ENORMOUS GIFT TO ME BY MY DAUGHTER BETA SHEMA.

SHEMA A DOCTOR AND I AM REALLY PROUD OF HER.

TO TELL YOU THE FACT ONE MINUTE OF MY LIFE DOES NOT PASS WITHOUT HER THOUGHTS.

SHE IS MY ALTER EGO.MY SOUL MY HEART BODY AND SPIRIT.

I AM LOTS GRATEFUL TO HER AFTER ALLAH KAREEM.

SHE IS VERY THOUGHTFUL, CARING AND DEVOTEDLY INTERESTED IN MY LIFE, HEALTH ETC.

THATZ OK.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LENOVO THING MY DAUGHTERS GIFT?

IT WAS THROWN AND IT WAS BROKEN TO PIECES LIKE MY BROKEN HEART.IT ALL HAPPENS, SOMETIMES,

YOU PUT ALL YOUR FONDNESS IN A CHILD AS AN INFANT. YOU TOOK ALL YOUR EXCELLENT TIME TO LOOK AFTER IT, AS IT WAS SIX MONTHS OLD, A TODDLER.

YOU LOOKED AFTER IT LIKE AN UNPAID NANNY!!! YOU INVESTED ALL YOUR WARMTH LOVE AND YOU DREAM TO SEE HER GROW GREATER THAN YOUR DAUGHTER.

YOU HAD A NICE SPECS BOUGHT AFTER SOME HARD MONTHS SAVINGS .YOU THOUGHT YOU LOOKED NICE IN IT.

THIS YOUR KID AS A SIX MONTH OLD CLIMBED YOUR HEAD, PULLED YOUR HAIR TOGETHER WITH THE SPECKS AND SHE HAD IT BROKEN TO PIECES.

I IN POINT OF FACT FELT MORE WRAPPED UP IN HER LOVE AND CARED SO MUCH FOR HER MORE.

I HAD SPENT MY PRECIOUS TIME OTHER THAN MY OFFICE, WITH HER, PLAYING LIKE A CHILD DOING GRIMACES AND MAKING SILLY AND UGLY FACES AND SOUNDS TO MAKE HER SMILE OR LAUGH. YES! TO SEE HER ONCE HAPPY.

I WAS REALLY VERY HAPPY IN HER COMPANY AND I THOUGHT I WOULD PASS MY RETIRED LIFE IN LOOKING AFTER HER, SEEING AFTER HER STUDIES.

WHAT WE PLAN SELDOM DOES IT GET MATERIALIZED.

MY GRAND DAUGHTER WAS THIS, ALSO DEVELOPED A RAPPORT WITH ME AND MY BEING. SHE WAS VERY MUCH AGITATED IF I WAS LATE HOME.