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Remembering my Father

When I was an undergraduate engineering student (I think, I was in my 2nd year), I left my bicycle outside my room in BK Mariappa hostel where I was staying and forgot to lock the bike. I dozed off and when I woke up my bike was gone! I was extremely sad. I knew how difficult it was for my parents to buy me a bike and I was careless. My parents were farmers and also ran a morning cafe to supplement their income. My bike's cost was like six months of the cafe income. I knew they would be devastated and worried endlessly how I would break the news to them. Bike was essential to me to commute between my college and hostel and now I had to get up early and start on foot at 6:15 AM for my 7:30 AM class every weekday. I was not worried about that but I was reminded what a financial struggle it was for my father to buy me the bike which I lost.

I sat down to write a letter. It took many hours to compose the letter and I cried and cried writing it. Basically I told then what happened and begged them to forgive me and I told them not to think of replacing the bike, no, I won't need it (of course I did).  I mailed the letter. I despaired over my foolishness for many months after that and agonized at having caused so much suffering to my parents who worked more than 12 hours every day, all days in a week, year after year to earn enough to feed the family and put us through school.

A few days later, my father came to Bangalore; I did not want to show my face to him. Tears welled up when I saw him and I tried to express how sorry I was. He didn't say a word about my bike. He asked me to go with him. He took me to the famous bike store Raja Cycle Mart in front of the Mayo Hall and bought me a brand new bike. I was refusing as fervently as I could but to no avail. He asked me to ride back to my hostel and he would walk to the bus station to catch a bus for Chinthamani to get to back to our village. I was waiting all along for a lecture to be more careful in safeguarding the bike and so on and so forth. I deserved it, but it never came.  Not a word. He didn't scold me, criticize me, even mention my losing my bike. After I got my new bike, he didn't even tell me to keep it locked.

It has been about forty years now and I am still waiting for the lecture. I know it won't happen. My father is no more, I don't think my mother remembers it. No one else remembers it either. So, I keep giving that lecture myself to me.

I am nowhere near as magnanimous as my father was in forgiving my stupendous error. He trusted me 100% even after I made a huge mistake which I could have easily avoided.

I love you Annayya!

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