“Oh! So you are his elder son. Sit. Have a seat first..” she said
She is Shashi. Introduction followed immediately. And as I settled down in my chair, “Oh! So your are that girl. I mean lady” I said to myself in my mind. Trying to smother the grin on my face.
You could notice her presence. She wore Saree. And in a way that I know my mom wears it – graceful and classy. She looked straight into your eyes and wore a hearty smile.
My dad has had the best set of friends and still does from his undergrad. The kind of friends you hear about in the stories told at the bar, or see in movies, but more importantly friends you wish you had. Friends that have been together for over four decades. Friends that have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, new years and have now mourned passing of members of friend circle. Friends, I call – Kakas – uncles. At times I feel closer to them then my actual uncles. After all, uncles that let you have some beer with them while you were in eighth grade tend to be close to your heart.
I had just flown in a day before from the US and I had heard that it was 100 year celebration of my dad’s college and all these uncles were going to be there. Class of ’71 one more time. Not having seen my favorite uncles, it was a no brainer I was going to try to crash the alumni party. It turned out easier than I thought.
Now I did take the seat as she asked me to. And I don’t know where it came from but I heard myself saying something to this effect – “Oh I had heard stories about how beautiful you used look. I see they were true and you still look so pretty.” Now I know this had something to do with a few stories I may have heard from dad and rest I think I filled in after my own undergrad experience. I mean how different could it have been in 60’s and 70’s.
I thought I received ‘apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ look from her and then her words contradicted – “ Like father like son. Always flattering.”
Yes, I am a proud son of my father. I smiled.
You should know, earlier that day my father was hospitalized. He was stable by the time I made it to this party. I spent an hour or so there, all of that time talking about my dad and hearing from his friends about him. I really don’t have words to describe how it felt. I felt I was walking a walk of his life, living this moment on his behalf because he couldn’t be here. Paying compliments because I think he would have if he was here.
And as I was getting ready to leave, in the most tongue-in-cheek manner I asked her, “So what else should I know about my dad.” She smiled, leaned in and said “He is a wonderful man. Nothing more and nothing less. You should know that.”
Neo
