The midnight ringing of the phone
left him panicking. His hands trembled as he picked up the receiver. The heart was in his mouth – “at this late hour, I hope all is well”. With
a dry and a just-woke-up throat, he managed whispering a “hello”. That was the only word he spoke. That and “You take care, I am on my way” at the
end. He packed a few clothes hurriedly. No fear, no sleep, just plain
meticulous working – things going in bags, things getting done. Alert mind
working and thinking. Why, he even texted his boss!
He had arranged a pick up for himself.
As soon as the taxi arrived, he hauled his bag. Bags and a child safety seat. As the taxi zoomed through the traffic, he
relaxed. Or, he tried to relax. He called her up but got no reply. The beads of
sweat started trickling again. He was cursing himself. “Why am I not with her – now, when she needs me the most.” His high
profile, busy life – carried no meaning now. He had not been there for her birthdays,
anniversaries and now - when she was in hospital. Yes, he was right to curse himself. His silent prayers rose – “Keep her safe, Lord. I love her.”
Every second brought him nearer
to her – and, this gave him strength. The
red light of the OT was switched on when he reached the hospital. He tried to
calm down. She was in there.
He sat, he stood, he paced and he
waited. They came out at length. The nurse eyed his stuff and giggled, “You really should have got a pink car seat,
sir”. “A pink car seat??” “Yes sir, I am told, girls her age, like pink
color the best.” His eyes watered. She held his hand and patted it. She had
seen many like him. “Yes sir, the
prettiest daughter – both she and the mother are safe. You may see them now.”
I am late in making submission to the Trifecta : week Seventeen but nevertheless, I am sharing my take on the photo-challenge of this week.
I love his husband panic, where he grabs everything, even the carseat in his rush to get there. Was the implication that he was too far away and therefore missed the birth, or was the story set in an earlier time, when a father would have had to pace the waiting room? Either way, I loved the character!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jessie. Yes, he was too far away to have missed the birth and I think I was definitely inspired by the stories of the earlier times when the fathers did pace the waiting rooms. So, you had both the things right on. Thank you for reading and appreciating the character.
DeleteWonderful story! No matter where fathers are always like this. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and appreciating. :)
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