A Chip off The Old Block

The shadows of the trees outside were lengthening as dusk fell. Meera switched on the lights inside the house and started making tea. Her husband would soon come home exhausted from work and she liked to have the tea ready for him. As she bustled about the kitchen, her thoughts went back to the time when she’d first met Anand. Dwelling with all the fondness of womanly sentimentality, she retraced the maturing of their acquaintance into friendship and finally into mutual regard and caring which drew them into a lifelong commitment towards each other. Four blissful years of married life had followed thereafter during the course of which they had been blessed with a son.

“Wham!...Whrrr….rrrr…” The banging of the front door and the commotion accompanying it startled Meera out of her reverie. A small hurricane came crashing through the kitchen door and hurled itself at her. A pair of rather dirty-looking, muddy arms with the most delightful little fingers blackened by grime wrapped themselves around her newly starched white cotton sari. An indignant little shriek escaped her lips as she looked at her soiled and crumpled garment. But she found it impossible to frown at the little face that looked up at her impertinently, displaying a toothy smile between two irresistible dimpled cheeks. “Kannan! How could you lay your dirty hands…” she began trying to sound annoyed. “But mummy, my hands aren’t dirty - see!” answered a little voice innocently as if it were the most obvious statement. Two blackened palms were promptly turned up in corroboration. “You are incorrigible!” laughed Meera gathering up her little mud-laden bundle of joy and planting a kiss on each of his dimpled cheeks. The kisses were duly returned and both mother and son giggling together made for the bathroom.

“You know I’ve been thinking…” Anand looked up from his dinner plate to see his wife’s usually sunny face clouded over. “Yes, tell me…” he encouraged trying hard not to laugh as his son sat winking and blowing fish faces at him. Meera picked at her food, a small furrow on her smooth forehead not noticing the antics of her son. She faltered, “Well…it’s just that I thought maybe this time we’d make Kannan’s birthday a private affair - just the three of us. We could go out some place and…” “You mean not invite your parents?” interrupted Anand, his attention now fully on his wife’s face trying to read what was going on in her mind. “Ye-Yes”, stammered Meera looking down at her plate, unable to meet those steady brown eyes, which had always seemed to read her soul. Anand got up and came around to her. Turning up her face, he kissed her forehead, winking at his son who sat looking up at his parents earnestly. “I know how you feel. And I also know you hold yourself responsible for their not turning up even once all these years to see their grandson. But it just won’t do for you to be killing yourself over this. Your parents have a right to be angry. After all how would you feel if Kannan here went on to marry a girl against your wishes?” He continued, “Everyone has freedom of choice you know”, glancing at his son who sat nonchalantly sucking his thumb having no inkling about the possible future that his father pictured to his mother. “Well, returning to the point, I think that we should invite your parents. I have a feeling they will come.” Meera looked up into her husband’s face and found hope and faith there. Well, she reckoned there was no harm in asking and moreover she felt a strange conviction in Anand’s words.

Colonel Krishna Kumar was a strict disciplinarian. Five years into retirement had not diminished the remnants of the harsh army life he’d led for over three decades. Disobedience was a sin in his eyes that deserved no pardon. And his daughter, by defying his authority and marrying against his wishes, had done just that. The result was that he had broken off all ties with her and her family. His wife’s feeble protests went unheeded as she was forced to give in to her husband’s demands of severing all connection with her daughter. That day, as he sat reading his morning paper, he heard the phone ring and a strange sensation passed over him. And when his wife came up to him, her face beaming and eager, he somehow knew the reason. For four years he had fought the emotions which threatened to overcome his pride. His pride always won. However, of late the tide seemed to be turning in favor of his saner instincts. Now, hearing his wife’s voice trembling with happy expectation, her face radiant with joy, he realized to his amazement that to give in to his wife’s pleas was what he too wanted. In fact, it was what he had wanted for a long time, if only his infernal ego had not stood in the way!

The long awaited moment arrived and Meera saw her parents park in the driveway. Within minutes mother and daughter were hugging each other and laughing and crying at the same time. Meera watched with trepidation as her father and husband shook hands. Both husband and wife extended a warm welcome to the old couple and were anxious to please them.

The Colonel felt awkward, for though determined to be pleased, he could find no avenue to break the ice. His son-in-law seemed a tolerably good fellow; at least he appeared to have forgotten the unpleasantness of the past. Anand, for his part, could make out that the Colonel was a tough nut to crack. Nevertheless, his instinct told him that the old gentleman could be won over with affection and patience.

The women soon retreated to the kitchen leaving the men to get acquainted with each. Silence at this time was awkward but inevitable. Luckily, Kannan soon dropped in. He’d been busy riding his tricycle and had come to find out what the commotion was. As soon as he entered, he spotted a balding, bearded man with a neat little mustache seated next to his father. Jumping onto Anand’s lap, he inquired audibly, “Who is this papa?” The Colonel who had been busy contemplating the books lined on the shelves was roused from his abstraction. Looking towards Anand, his glance fell on a cherubic little face with bold eyes staring curiously at him. “Young gentlemen should greet their elders first. Have you not been taught to say ‘Hello’ sir?” responded the Colonel in a single breath, raising his eyebrows to maximize the effect. Poor Kannan cowered in his father’s lap unused to such severity. “Kannan, say ‘Hello’ to grandpa” coaxed Anand. But the only response was a determined shake of the head and a small peep at the old Colonel before the tousled head disappeared behind Anand’s shoulder. The Colonel seeing that his words had scared the child was about to smile and say something when the women returned. Kannan was promptly engulfed in a mass of arms as kisses and hugs rained down on him. His grandma filled his pockets with toys and chocolates and he affectionately entwined his little arms about her neck. A twinge of jealousy stirred within the Colonel’s breast. How was it that the child had gone to his wife and not come to him, he wondered. Almost immediately, the answer flashed across his mind. His soul had become a hard, barren island that supported none of the tender, gentler human emotions. However, seeing the little bundle of joy before him now, bubbling with cheer and spreading happiness all around, there arose a constriction in the Colonel’s chest. Something began to struggle within, asking to be let out; only the Colonel did not know how to let it out.

“Why were you so aloof yesterday? Did you not like it there?” asked his wife the next morning, gently trying to make him come out with what was bothering him. But he wouldn’t open up. It had not escaped his wife that during the visit to their daughter’s home the day before, he had seemed to gradually retreat into a shell where he stayed until they came away. The old lady had wondered what was keeping her husband away from the rest of the family; but she did not probe further. Years of living together had taught her that things could never be prized out of her husband. He would talk only when he was ready, and she patiently awaited that moment.

“Grandma! Grandma!!” the yell got drowned by the scrunch of wheels on the gravel. The Colonel’s wife hurried to the parlor window as the voice resumed calling out to her. Her face broke into a big smile as she saw her grandson almost fall out of the car and bound across the lawn to the front door. “They’re here”, she called to her husband. “Now he’ll cheer up I hope” she added to herself stealing a quick glance over her shoulder. The patter of feet sounded outside, the front door was thrown wide open, and the living room was soon resonating with laughter and cheer. Everyone, except the Colonel was talking at once. After exchanging pleasantries and greetings with the newcomers and spending a few uncomfortable moments watching them freely interact with his wife, he excused himself from the merry company. Little Kannan, in awe of his grandfather, stood watching his retreating figure with curiosity. Seeing the child's eyes watch her husband, the old lady bent and whispered in his ear “Follow him Kannan and find out where he is going”. A combination of boldness, curiosity, and playfulness had mitigated the child’s initial fear of the old Colonel and he quickly trotted off in search of his grandfather’s place of retreat.

One of the Colonel’s hobbies had been carpentering and retirement had given him full scope of pursuing his favorite pastime at will. Consequently, many an afternoon found him busily working away in the small work shed at the back of his house. Nothing gave him as much satisfaction as a couple of hours spent tinkering around in his work shed. Patience and labor had soon presented him with the skills of a tolerably good craftsman. Now as he was fingering a fresh piece of wood, his keen glance fell upon a little, black head peeping through the windows. “Come in boy, come in” he coaxed, wondering what the little one was doing there and secretly pleased that he had followed him. Meanwhile, Kannan’s senses had been taking in the sights and smells of the wondrous world that he now saw before him. His imagination painted it as a place full of secrets waiting to be discovered. The smell of fresh wood was an added attraction. He did not wait for his grandfather to finish and quickly rushed inside. Going up to the worktable, he gingerly touched the block of wood that the Colonel had been examining and queried “What will you do with this grampa?” “Wait a while and I will show you” was the reply and Kannan looked up in time to catch a twinkle in his grandfather’s eyes. As Kannan made himself comfortable on another smaller table, the old Colonel cautioned “Sit well back against the wall so the sawdust doesn’t fly into your eyes.” As the child watched in fascination, the shapeless block of wood was slowly transformed into a beautiful little toy engine under his grandfather’s fingers. When it was ready, the Colonel placed it in Kannan’s hands saying “There you go, now what do you make of that eh?” Kannan was shouting and jumping up and down in glee.

Meera had made her way into the shed sometime back to check on her son. She now stood at the door of the shed as her delighted son proudly showed off his newest toy to her. Above the excited face of her boy bobbing up and down, her teary eyes met her father’s and seemed to say, “Thank you.” The Colonel smiled and held out his arms. Years of separation seemed to melt away as father and daughter hugged each other and all the pain and unpleasantness was washed away in their mingled tears.

Some days later, the happy trio of father, daughter and grandson sat fishing. Kannan sat between his mother and grandfather, holding on to a hand of each. Dropping a kiss on the little tousled head beside her, Meera looked into the eyes which she had known all her life and murmured “You know father, Kannan resembles you so much - his eyes, his chin, his likes, his dislikes…and he’s grown fond of fishing too.” “But most of all” she added, her eyes beginning to twinkle, “ask him what he wants to be when he grows up and pat comes the reply - a Colonel, just like his grandfather!” “Oh he’ll make a devilish fine army man” beamed the Colonel. With a faint hint of emotion he continued, “After all, he’s a chip off the old block!”