Srini woke up when the
phone rang at about 11am. He was still a bit groggy. He looked at his phone. It
was Anita calling. He answered and she
could tell he had been woken up late, probably by not getting to sleep early
enough. She too had not slept well but was at work. Her boss had noticed
something not quite OK with her and asked. Anita had told her. The boss had
been very understanding and particularly appreciated her coming to work that
day. She had offered her time off work whenever needed. Anita had taken a break
and called Srini.
Just as Srini assured her
he was OK and would go to make breakfast, there was a beep on his phone with a
new call waiting.
“That must be Rohan, ‘Nitu.
I will talk to you later, love. Go back and work. It will help you.”
He answered Rohan’s call.
He had just stepped out for a break from his meeting. He thought he would
simply call and find out how Srini was. Rohan too sounded like he had not slept
well, but he would soldier on at work. He was a hardworking young man. Srini
assured him that he was OK and on way to make breakfast. Rohan let him go.
As he had breakfast, he
received a call from Molly. She was quiet and subdued, a bit different from her
usual self. She asked if Srini could use her help in some chores or anything.
She asked him to come over for a meal and stay at their place whenever he felt
like. She was trying to do as much as she could while taking care of the kids
and preparing to go back to work. She did not mind putting it off for a little
while. Srini was touched by the love shown by his ‘three kids’. He replied that
he would definitely take up the offers sometime. He conveyed his love to the twins over the
phone. He could hear them chattering and they heard his voice from the phone
and babbled something back at him as he said his ‘bye, bye’ before hanging up.
The twins were conditioned to wave goodbye with their hands when leaving. They
apparently always waved their hands even when he said ‘bye, bye’ over the
phone. Molly would describe it and Srini
always had a chuckle imagining that.
He had a few things to sort
out with Dr. Fa soon. He called up his
friend. He was with a patient and took his call after a short wait. Annie, the
receptionist was not in that morning. It was the younger new receptionist
apprentice. She put him on through to Dr. Fa on hold. Srini waited, sipping his
tea.
“Yes, Srini. How are you?
Anything new?”
“Fa! I told my kids
yesterday. I want to schedule the surgery as soon as you can. I want to get
going as soon as I heal, in about two weeks after the surgery. I have a plan
that I discussed with Dan. I want to travel overseas for 2-3 months to meet some people and see some places. I will come back here then and spend the rest
of the time tying up some loose ends and spending time with my kids. Btw, do
convey my regards to Emily and your children. How are they? We will have a party
sometime and I want to invite them all.”
“Srini, I will arrange for
the surgery to proceed soon. My office will get back to you soon. Yes, Emily is
fine. She sends her regards. The kids are OK too. They are traveling now
visiting family overseas. They will be back later this month. I’ll catch you
later, Dost! “ Fa signed off as the
next patient came into his office.
Srini got a call from Dr.
Fa’s office that evening booking his surgery five days hence. He spent the next
couple of days in writing up his plan for dividing up his financial assets. He
met Dan and his boss Steve at their office and they arrived at a final draft. They all signed it and it was done. Srini had
given his kids their share. He had done the paperwork so that Rohan and Molly
would have over half their 3 bedroom house in the new housing estate already
paid for. It would reduce their mortgage by a significant amount that they
could easily pay off in about 10 years.
Srini bought Anita a small 2 bedroom unit in the same estate, a couple
of streets away, almost entirely paid off, but something she could pay off in a
couple of years. He liked the idea of his children being close to each other
literally as well as figuratively. They were far from their other relatives,
who lived in other countries. He figured this would be a good way to keep them
close, so that their own children might have a chance to have extended family
nearby. It was to be a surprise to them.
Srini had gone to the
housing estate and reserved two suitable houses for his kids. He paid a deposit and they were glad to
oblige. He asked the management to keep things quiet and to arrange for all the
paperwork to done as soon as Rohan and Anita wanted.
Srini had money set aside
for himself, to spend in the following year. He also wrote a few checks to some
of his favourite causes and a few people he wanted to help – in their work or
personally. They all went out that very
day without an explanation as to his personal condition. He wanted to see
everything done properly and legally before he was gone. There was to be no
reading of wills or any possibility of litigation after he was gone. Only
memories were to be entertained. He wanted it that way.
He called his kids over for
dinner a couple of days before the surgery. Molly and Anita came over early to
help cook up a feast. It was a warm afternoon.The twins came, all bright and
ready to play. Srini took them out for a stroll through his neighbourhood and a
play in the park. He attracted some surprised looks as he got the little ones
out in the park to run about and play on the slides. There were many younger
mothers and a couple of fathers who had brought their children.
One protested loudly when
the other was taken out first. A couple of young mothers came up to help him
get the twins off the pram. They tried to hide their surprise at the seeing
this grey, but seemingly fit gentleman with such young kids. One was never sure
these days if they were his kids or grandkids.
“I know, I know. But this
is what one gets when one marries too late,” Srini joked.
Dinner was cooking when he
went back home. Things were sizzling and bubbling in the kitchen. Srini sat
down in the stool in the kitchen after putting the twins in the playpen. He
felt a little winded.
“Here, have a buttermilk
drink, Dad!” Anita offered him a glass.
Srini sipped it, relishing
the taste and smell of crushed lemon leaves and salt.
“Appa, go and have a lie
down, have your afternoon nap. We will
wake you up when Rohan gets here,” Molly said gently.
Srini went and lay on the
couch, next to the twins playing. He gradually dozed off, even as the twins
played around him, talking to him, he replied a few times. It was a wonderful
sight and feeling that transported Srini into dreamland. When he started to
snore the kids were surprised at the first big snore. They both turned around
suddenly and lost their balance in the shock. Anita, who happened to be passing
by, saw it. She went to tell Molly.
Srini woke up to see the
twins being held by Rohan, right over him. They were reaching out and one
caught his nostril while the other caught his glasses.
“Dad!” said Rohan as he set
down the kids and gave Srini a hug as he was sat up.
They all washed up and sat
down to dinner. Rohan had picked up
something special for dessert on his way. This was to be the last full meal for
Srini before the surgery. While there
was some risk, Dr. Fa’s record of such operations was very, very good. Everyone
was hopeful that Srini would come out of it well. They did not speak much about
it that night. It was a weekend. Rohan’s family and Anita had planned to spend
the night at Srini’s place and spend the next day with him. They would drive
Srini to the surgery the following day according to plan. It was a pleasant, jovial atmosphere at the
house with just a hint of sombreness just below the surface.
After dinner, they all sat
down in the living room for dessert with a cup of tea in hand. Srini casually
asked Molly to pass on a folder that had been lying on the coffee table all day
to him. She handed him that without much thought. The others too only paid
casual attention to it.
Srini took out three
envelopes and handed one each to Anita, Rohan and Molly. It had their names
written on them simply in Srini’s characteristic handwriting.
“What is this Dad?” asked
Anita with some surprise, as she carefully tore open the envelope. Rohan and
Molly too were doing the same.
They each looked at the
note that was inside. Srini’s eye carefully watched them and wandered between
them. Their looks and changing expressions and look at him were something he
would treasure, always. They were priceless for him. He was soon mobbed and the
three were upon him. It was good that he was sitting in a comfortable couch
with good back support.
“Dad! You should not do
this!”
“Appa, you still will have
many years. You will need this money.”
“Dad! This is too soon to
think this way or do this even if you want.”
“Dad, I love you. Just the
thought that you want to is enough. This is too much.”
“Dad, I love you.”
“Appa, I love you.”
This was a happy and
tearful scrum. As expected the twins wanted to join in and hence broke it up.
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