This is by far my best work since I have taken up writing, I hope my readers feel the same.
Last weekend, the gang went for a movie, the usual animated stuff that we prefer…. As always, I was the first one to reach Prasad’s multiplex, they say the Big Screen here is the biggest we can get all over Asia. I was pacing myself up and down the stairs at the entrance, frantically scanning my wrist watch which seemed to have picked up pace by leaps and bounds.
Finally I could see hands waving from a distant, more than the hands, it was the voice that I recognized, even in such huge commotion his voice was loud and clear, now I came to know, why people call him “The Boy with the million dollar voice,” crystal clear. Boys and girls, that’s Aniket for u…
‘How in world r u always late? You could have screwed up the whole plan.’ I asked
‘Take it easy, we still have time,’ Aniket replied
‘You are dead man, if I miss the promos at the beginning….I am serious’ I said with a lot of authority in my voice.
‘Forget it, there are more chances of the sun rising in the west than Ani turning up in time,’ Ansh said with a slightly wicked smile on his face. Ansh is the 3rd and the last member of the “Animation Freaks Club”.
‘Anyways guys, can we have something to eat?’ Ansh queried moving his hands over his tummy.
‘But we just had lunch…’Aniket said, and was about to continue when Ansh interrupted
‘I need something to munch along with the movie, you have a problem’
The Big screen is on the First floor of the multiplex, me and Aniket had to wait near the escalator while Ansh was standing in front of the booking counter to fetch the tickets we booked online a few days back.
After a few minutes Ansh was back with the tickets, Aniket was busy by the time, his eye-balls shifting from left to right checking out girls of various age groups.
He turned to me and said, 'every time I visit this place, I get a complex; all the beauties out there already seem to have found their perfect match.'
Ansh, who had already started munching on his chips, spoke up with a chuckling voice…'don’t u worry, every DOG has his day….'We all laughed along as we got ready to step on to the accelerator.
The cell phone started ringing when I was least expecting it. It was, I guess on the 3rd ring, no 4th perhaps that I picked it up. A weird voice at the other end (everything in Telugu was weird for me) started off as a newsreader in a rhythmic voice, suddenly I felt some one was pulling at my trousers. I turned back, to find a little girl about the age of 4 or 5 maybe screaming and bringing the hell down. It didn’t take much time for me to realize that she was intimidated by the moving stairs, the accelerator. She was clutching on to my trousers as a person would to his life jacket when in the middle of the ocean.
I looked around but I couldn’t find a searching face in the crowd. I tried to break out, but the girl denied to let go. Finally I could see someone screaming the name Avantika from the 1st floor, a lady in her mid 30s, holding a kid was looking with desperation in her eyes, I turned back to the girl, and I could make out the connection. I screamed out, 'don’t worry mam, I shall get her there. I picked the girl up in my arms and started off.'
As soon as I reached the 1st floor, Avantika almost jumped out of my arms and ran to her mom…she could have given Carl Lewis a run for his money at that particular time.
'Thanks a lot!' The lady gestured with a smile on her face.
'Mention not' I said, I could see tears almost about to erupt from the corners of her eyes.
'Ladies as always,' I said to myself.
'Where had u been, come along ur promos might be over by now…'Aniket started dragging me towards Audi4. I smiled at the happy family…almost with a spot of embarrassment and then went off.
I had the biggest learning of life that day, we all at a very early stage of or lives develop a connection with our mom’s that knows no words which is as spiritual as the Gods of the heavens…but I won’t be surprised if one day Avantika grows up and more often than not we can hear her say…'Cut the Crap..Mom' or maybe 'Take a chill pill' or the latest one these dayz 'Chillax stop shoutin'. Even I have done that on numerous occasions and I am sure most of us during their teens would have thought that it was so IN to be shouting at the top of their voices and taking their mom’s for granted. And my mom would reply 'You would know, one day when u become a father…you sure would know.'
It would sound as if I am trying to preach something…but as a matter of fact I really do believe that, God’s greatest gift to a woman is to give birth to a child. After a tiring day of work, school, etc. we all reach home expecting good food, good entertainment and loads of rest…on the other side there’s somebody waitin who demands nothing but a smile on our face. People call her the housewife, I call her the Homemaker.
