JIJNASA SAHANI, X – D

It was Sunday, a day when I like to prolong my sleeping time and wake up late. But this Sunday I was woken up by my annoying little cousin brother. “Guess what is today? Guess what is today?”, he shook me and asked excitedly, hopping on my bed and making it all the more untidier than it already was. “Let me sleep, Om”, I requested, but he continued to shake me. “Let me sleep!”, I said irritated. But he continued in his excited voice, “Guess what is today? Guess what is today?”

“What is so special about today?”, I asked angrily, as I woke up to find that it was just 6 o’clock, whereas I was supposed to sleep till at least 8 o’clock on a holiday. “It’s Father’s Day!”, he said in a rather hurt tone. “I just wanted to show you the card that I made for dad. Please tell me if it looks okay.”

“It’s beautiful, Om”, I said, without even throwing a glance at the card, and went back to sleep. I woke up at about 9AM (with the entire house yelling at me, of course). Then I got involved in my daily routine, and forgot that this day was any different from any other. The next time when I was reminded that it was ‘Father’s Day’ was when I opened my facebook account in evening, which was literally flooding with ‘Happy Father’s Day’ posts. I wondered if I could do something for my dad, but no idea occurred to me. I thought of making a card like Om, but then the job of card making appeared too laborious to me.

Now it was 7 o’clock (PM), and I had completed my homework and household chores. But I still had not done anything for my dad. The needles of the clock ticked away and it soon became night. Now it was 10.30pm and my dad had come back from office. When I saw him, I felt really guilty. I felt like a very bad daughter who could not take out even a little bit of time from her selfish life to do something for her father, not even on Father’s Day. Dad took his dinner and I prepared the bed. When he came to bed, I told him, “Sorry dad, I haven’t done anything for you on Father’s Day”. “No problem. Is it Father’s Day today?”, he asked me, “Well, I didn’t know that”. Lalalala hahahaha hmhmhmhm I’m singing. I’m swinging in the air. “Yes it is. And as I don’t have anything to present to you, I’ll just wish you – A Happy Father’s Day, dad!”

“Oh, dear, Thank you! What can be a better present for me than that? Now don’t look sad like that. Even I don’t do anything on Daughter’s Day, do I? I don’t even know when the daughter’s day is”. “Yeah, but I should have done something for you”, I said. “I am a very bad daughter, ain’t I?” “Of course, you aren’t. Now tell me why is there a father’s day? It’s just a sign of love for your father. Now you don’t have to prove that you love me and care for me if you really do”, he explained. “Do you know what the greatest gift you can give to me is?” “What?”, I asked. “Your smile”, he replied simply. With a gleeful smile, I flung my arms around him and whispered in his ear, “You are my hero, dad. I love you.” Dad hugged me closer and whispered back, “And you are my princess. I love you, too”.