Chapter – 9
THANK YOU
December 21. 2021
Five years passed by since shruthi left this world. The same day hari turned ten. I went to his room that morning to wake him up and wished happy birthday. He also wished me happy birth day. We quickly got in to our new clothes and hurried outside.
We went to the grave yard and wished shruthi also happy birthday by placing white roses, her favorite, on her tomb. Next we went to temple and did some archana in our names. After that we went to a shopping mall to buy an x-box. I promised hari that I will gift it to him on that birthday. We went to newly released James bond movie called the last eagle. After that we went to a restaurant and had nice lunch and came home.
That night we called for a big party at our place. After five years I was celebrating my birthday at a large scale. For hari it was the first big celebration. He was so excited about the party. All these years we celebrated, but kept to ourselves. This time he invited his school friends and I invited my friends and colleagues. Holding my hand in his left hand hari introduced me his friends, pointing with his right hand. The same way shruthi used to hold my hand and move at parties. I also introduced hari to my colleagues. We both cut the same cake which was in shape of Mickey Mouse, hari’s favorite. The party went very well and hari was extremely happy. Even I am happy for him. As he waved bye to his last friend who left, hari came running towards me and hugged me. As he hugged his hands came up to my last rib, he pushed his head towards my belly with bliss. He has grown up, able to express his feelings better.
That night we both played with the newly bought x-box till mid night. Before going to sleep we saw the new Tom and Jerry series, which was gift to hari by some school friend. As hari fell asleep watching the cartoon, I carried him to his bed. As I was about to leave the room hari moaned, “daddy…”. That night I slept in his bed, he slept holding my hand the same way shruthi does….
December 21, 2031
Ten more years passed by. Everything went in the same way, the way in which we have been celebrating over years. The things that were changing were the gifts I gave and his friends who attend the party. Only few remained constant. That year my gift was a Yamaha bike. I don’t know the model and all that, but that’s a brand new model with more bhp and cc power than ordinary ones. Hari liked it very much.
Usman this time bought her elder daughter to the party. At that time he doesn’t know that he was taking a step to transform our friendship in to a relationship. She came from Dubai last month. When she was 4, usman’s parents who stayed in Dubai asked to send her to them so that they will bought her up and also they need company of someone at that age. As usman’s wife was pregnant for the second time then Usman sent her daughter. Later usman had a boy. He named him razziq.
As hari got ready in his new suit and hurrying towards the cake, he was stuck by seeing her. Usman saw him and introduced him to her.
“Beti, this is hari, I used to tell you right, son of sanjiv uncle and hari this is my daughter harleem”, said usman making their hands shake. She was very beautiful and everyone in the party was all eyes to her beauty. She dressed in red Gogra choli, with light and simple gold ornaments. She was simply striking in the party. I can clearly see that hari was also lost to her. I held his hand and bought back to the party and we headed up to the cake.
After the cake cutting I, usman, harleem, hari sat on one table. After a while I and usman went to attend other guests leaving hari and harleem together. They started talking about themselves and became friends quickly. Both of them completed their degrees and looking for a college to do their MBA. Needless to say, they got admitted in to the same college.
Hari never hide anything from me, he always shared me everything. Even in case of harleem also. He told the things happened at college and how he teased her and all that stuff. Harleem also liked hari very much. I am waiting for the day to break the ice and talk to usman about them. I thought it will be a tough task to do that, but it was not.
December 26, 2033
The day came and usman came to my college and asked for me. As I was in a session told him to wait in my room. As I entered the room later, he is very disturbed and wearing a perplexed face.
I asked him what is worrying him.
“You have to forgive me sanju, behalf of my daughter”, he started.
“Why, what happened?” I enquired knowing the answer beforehand.
“She is in love with hari it seems” usman said facing his head to his feat.
“Seems? What made you think so? What happened? Tell me exactly” I demanded.
“I found this photo of hari and a letter in her book.” Saying so, he handed me a photo and a letter.
Keeping the letter and photo aside, “Usman if you are not here today, I thought of coming to you tomorrow. I know this already, but don’t know how to discuss this with you. Ok anyways, behalf of Hareesh, as his father I would like you to ask to let him marry your daughter. I want her as my daughter in law. I beg you to accept my proposal. I will do any…….”
Before I complete usman jumped out of the chair and came to hug me.
“Thank you, sanjiv. Thank you very much. Even I wanted to ask the same behalf of harleem. I accept your proposal” he cried.
“Oh idiot, I have to thank you, because I thought, from your side it will be a problem.” I said.
“Yeah problem will be there with my relations and my parents. Don’t worry I will handle them. For now let’s celebrate. Let’s meet for dinner at our place. Come with you boy. I will come with my girl.” saying so usman rushed out.
I called hari and harleem on conference and told them what had happened.
Usman really took so much pain to convince his parents and relations. Some of them were not convinced and angry with him. After all we both wanted our children to be happy. They said that they will marry after the completion of their studies.
December 1, 2034
They completed their studies and got jobs. We are planning for the day to make their love in to a bond forever and transform our friendship to a relationship. Regarding the marriage, first they will marry according to Muslim tradition and then in Hindu tradition. As I enquired with our purohit, he gave me two options for the wedding day. 15th December and 21st December. I don’t want to put it on the later date, as I was in a fear that hari’s case will also end like me. So I fixed 15th December. But hari insisted to get married on the later date and he feels that his mother blessings will also be available that day with him, for his new life. I can’t argue with hari, he is as smart his mother and stubborn too.
December 21, 2034
The wedding day. Only few members from usman side attended the wedding as it was according to our tradition. However it went well and they got married. I stood there seeing them, can’t believe my eyes. Hari got married, to me he was still that small boy I carried him on my back and played all the day in our lawn. As I look beside I saw usman, almost like me. I thought he felt the same about harleem.
December 21, 2036
Harleem was pregnant. As the destiny was unable to find a better date for my family, it again chooses the same date for her delivery. This time I and hari both were waiting in the corridor. Hari, simply reflected myself 24 years back. But now I am going to become grandfather. Its charan my friend who did the delivery this time also. He came out and said that it’s a girl. Hari just acted the way I did earlier. I just got a chance to see myself in him once again. I thought I was so lucky.
Hari thought of naming her shruthi. Harleem added khanum to that. So they named the baby shruthi khanum.
June 16, 2038
Shruthi started speaking small small words like, ma , pa and hari, harleem were so happy to hear those words. On that day evening while I was busy in doing some gardening and shruthi was playing with some toys. Suddenly she started walking towards me and called “shanju…shanju…” in a sweet voice. I was more than shocked to hear that, throwing away the scissors in my hand and rushed towards her. I hugged her and kissed her, asked who taught her that word.
She again called “shanju …shanju” and went away playing with her toys.
“I taught her.”, answered harleem from the back.
No words to describe my happiness. I was just taken back by some 20 years by her.
I was so happy to have shruthi again in my life and I am seeing my son and daughter in law living happily……..
June 27, 2038
Hi this is Hareesh. My father died on June 16, the day he felt happiness for a life time. So he left us on the same night. Normal death during sleep. Peacefully he left this world. While cleaning his room I found this dairy. For me it’s not just dairy. I just extracted the important parts of his life and put it here. Thanks for reading my father’s dairy.
Hareesh
PS : hi readers, most of you might thinking that what’s so special about that 21 December. I started this story when I was on bench. I was on bench for nearly three months. Now I am to some project. Coming to that 21 December, it’s my reporting date, in other words it’s the starting day of my bench days. Somehow I managed to end this story here. This is my first story. So here by, I welcome both comments and complements.
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