.....I burst with pride at seeing you go
but I hide from you my loneliness and
secretly scream 'please don't go'
Fly on my sweet, fly on
I will be here when you come home
I will hide my pain just for you,
For you to make it through
What you have to do
- L.M.Owens
...
When my brother and I were growing up, we often heard our parents
say how their lives revolved around us. I did not give much thought to that
until that particular day five years ago when I left my home to settle in
England.
It was a bright September morning. Around 8am,
the taxi arrived to take me to the airport. There
was a buzz in the street, the usual morning buzz – people going to work,
children going to school, the 'sabziwaala' with his trolley of vegetables,
joggers returning from the park. It was just like any other morning. But the only difference was that, on that particular day,
I was leaving home to go to a place thousands of miles away; from where I could
only speak to my parents over telephone; from where I could not return back at the end of the day. I was leaving home to start a new life.
As the driver was loading my
luggage in the taxi, reality struck me – The time had come for parting. I was
teary. My parents’ eyes were misty. Bhaiyya was helping the driver load my luggage in the taxi. Few years ago, on a day like this, he had left home to
pursue his career. It was my turn today. I sought my Parents’ blessings and gave them a tight hug and stepped into the taxi. I had requested that they do not come to the airport to see me off.
As the taxi reached the far end of the road from my home, I turned back to
look at my parents. They were still standing outside the gate waving at me. To
me they seemed a bit lonely (though they had each others’company). Perhaps they
were sad that their nest had become empty.
Indeed, for years my parents' lives had been revolving around their children's. They were always teaching me and Bhaiyya to be independent. The early lessons were in polishing our shoes, tying our shoe laces, packing our school bags, lunches. This was followed by learning to ride a bicycle, running minor errands for the house, helping Amma in the household chores. Further, their lessons enabled us to make appropriate career choices and more importantly face the challenges of LIFE. Thinking of all
this, I wanted to get off the taxi and come back to my Papa and Amma but I had
to gather myself. I had to be practical and move on. I am sure Papa’s and Amma’s
hearts ached too to see their baby girl leave but they had to let me fly and
face the real world.
My parents’ lives still revolve
around Bhaiyya’s and my life. As much excited as Bhaiyya and I are when we experience new
things, they are excited for us too. They are always looking forward to
listening to the stories that me and Bhaiyya have to tell about our daily
lives. They still do feel the emptiness in their nest but they know that their children
will return to the nest every now and then.
It is that time of the year again when
I fly back to my parents’ nest. I am going to India on Thursday to spend good three
weeks with my parents. YAY!!!!!!!!
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