BusKing!!!

FOUR

Ch 4 [A life lesson]

I returned home with father on his two wheeler. I jumped off the vehicle to open the gate so that father could park it inside. After that, I removed my shoes and went inside. Father locked the gate from inside and walked in too.

"Wash your hands and eat your lunch. I will take your test in the evening time." Father said. He sounded so relaxed but I became anxious. I didn't pay attention in the class not remembering that my father would take my test. I was surprised when I should've already known the outcomes of not paying attention. In any case, I couldn't disobey him. So, I just nodded.

That day, I didn't go to shop with him. He told me to prepare for the test. I was lying on the cold floor with math's book in my hand. I had studied the other subjects but there was no way I could learn to solve the maths questions just like that. In the end, I had to give up.

The time arrived when my father returned back from work. ''How's the preparation going?" That was the first thing he asked me.

"I studied, papa." I replied and smiled as if it wasn't clear from my anxious voice that I was lying.

I cooked roti for him which I learnt from aunt. After our dinner, he asked me to bring my books and copies. I did and sat in front of him on the floor as I looked him in the eyes. He was sitting in front of me on the bed. Our room was very small but enough for the two of us. It wasn't much spacious for other objects but was definitely getting smaller for keeping our memories. That day was one of those memories.

"Now, shall we start the test?" He asked me.

I shivered to my toes because people told me the tales of my father when he was young. They said that his anger was like a volcanic eruption. I gulped in fear and nodded anxiously. Just before that I had eaten to my heart's content. I wondered if it was serving the sheep before slaughtering it.

The unexpected happened and as I had my eyes on his hand, he picked the math's book first and opened it. That was it, my end, I thought. His eyes landed on a question and he asked me the formula to that question which I could definitely not answer in any possible way without paying attention in the class. I regretted it that very moment. I thought he'd beat me but that didn't happen. He put the book on the side and called me with gestures. I walked to him and he asked me to sit beside him.

"Satvik, you've grown up. Haven't you?" He was looking at the wall, not at me. "You've learnt to lie." He finally looked at me. I immediately looked away getting myself caught in his trap.

I decided at the moment that I'd speak the truth, "I'm sorry, papa. I wouldn't do this again. I just couldn't focus today." I looked him in the eyes. That was the truth because I could look into his eyes.

He nodded, "I know but tell me one thing. What was the reason for your distraction?" He asked me.

I looked at the wall, trying to remember. "Back then, I could only think about the sport I played with my friends in the break time. It was new to me. It's not that I haven't seen it on the tv. I have, but playing it for the first time in person sure mesmerized me."

"Is that why you're smiling?" He asked him. That's when I realized that I had a smile on my face. What was the reason? Football? I wondered.

I coughed and looked him in the eyes again, "I promise I'd study hard from tomorrow. Please, forgive me just today." I apologized.

"What if I don't forgive you?" He returned.

It made me sad, "But, you're my father. You should give me a chance." I replied.

"Listen, first decide why you said sorry to me."

I didn't understand what he meant. I'm sure I just gave him a blank expression.

"I'll teach you a life lesson today. Listen carefully. You don't apologize wanting to be forgiven. You apologize because you did something wrong. Something that you shouldn't have done." He said and I listened very carefully.

"I'm sorry. I know, I'm wrong. I wouldn't lie again. Lying is not good." I said with my head down but I got interrupted.

"I never said lying is wrong. Sometimes, you have to lie but the situation you were in wasn't serious enough for you to lie to your own father. You had other options. You could just tell me the truth and I would still spare you like I'm doing right now. But you chose to lie. Your decision was wrong, not the choice of lying. You have to understand the difference." He said and patted my shoulders gently.

He taught me a life lesson and it was very important for me to grasp it. So, I did. That day I got to understand my father even more. His thoughts, his way of living life and his motive was way more deeper that I thought. It was deeper than the ocean.