After The Nadir Of Despondency

“I don’t know whether I will be back or not.” he said and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes and taking things for granted, as I knew papa would be back, I did not take his words seriously and went back to my dreamland as soon as they left.

FEW WEEKS LATER:

I woke up to the ringing of my elder sister’s phone in the early morning and overheard her conversation. I could only understand that we were asked to reach for the airport and take the first flight to New Delhi. I knew he wasn’t well. I reached there and met my uncle who had come to receive us. I tried to read his eyes which were slightly red and he looked tired. Things were pretty normal; I sighed.

Just when we were about to reach the hospital, my sister said to me,

“He is no more.”

“What?” I almost screamed in a shock.

My uncle turned back to as what the matter was and we kept mum. No, I did not believe it and I, at least for once, expected and wished to meet him.

As I reached the hospital, I saw my family, extended family and family friends out there. Those teary eyes and voices choking with emotions narrated the whole story. Crying was a reflex reaction to that situation but we were asked to be strong. Everything was normal, the sun was shining and birds were chirping, people were busy with their works, there was hustle and bustle all around me but a silence started building inside me. A yearn for one last meeting was amplifying every second. My whole life started flashing in front of my eyes leaving me numb because I knew it was not going to be the same again. The one who showed me the right path, guided me, scolded me and cared for me disappeared from my life forever. I was not even going to listen to his voice ever. I guess death is the only “forever” thing in this ephemeral life. I have not witnessed a thing as “forever” as death.

“We can overcome the situation together. We all have to help each other overcome it. He will always be remembered and will remain with us; we need to accept he won’t be present physically with us.” said my grandfather and narrated a few stories of his eldest child’s childhood. In his eyes, I could see some kind of invincible strength and hope along with love and pain. He patted on my back and told me that he had seen death closely and how time flies. He added that he has lost his parents, uncles and all others he grew up with and yet he is going with the flow of life and this the only option we are left with. I knew this was the worst day of life but he taught me that this was not the end. Life has to go on; it does not mean that the departed soul will be forgotten. There was optimism in his words that made me believe that a dark night is always followed by a bright morning. The nadir of despondency is the point in life where God prepares you for a soaring flight.

This post is for Housing.com.