The Show Must Go On!

He woke up to daily dose of his father’s anger.  He knew there was no way he could get off the bed, before his father lost his cool every day.  Angry, and frustrated by his father for depriving him of the “15 minutes” before he could complete 12 hours of sleep, he slowly and reluctantly mustered the courage to let the blankets go off his body.

Alok always knew neither he could never live up to his father’s high expectations as far as his academics were concerned nor could he ever accomplish what his father has accomplished against all odds. Alok never really had the courage to look up to his father and ask for what he wanted; his mom came to his rescue all the time!

“Don’t you have any studying to do apart from watching movies all the time?” asked Alok’s father.

“I was about to start studying”, replied Alok with a tone of guilt.

“Well, you don’t always have to study the college books, that will fetch you nothing but a degree. Read literature, fiction, drama, the ones that have always made people come alive and have literally drenched people in insurmountable pleasure.”

“Books are the most loyal friends a person can ever have, read books that make you feel your life is worth living not which makes you worthy of a degree”, having said that he left the door slamming the door shut behind him.

Alok never really bothered what his father has told him that day. But, he soon realized that he had made a mistake.

It was Alok’s birthday, and, he looked forward to the prospect of taking pride in everything he did from now on- as he was a teenager now!

But, today he woke up to something different. He saw what-he-thought was a gift from his brother wrapped in colorful sheet of paper. To his dismay it was from his father, he ripped the gift of its cover and found a fiction novel by John Grisham. He with a frowning face started reading it, and, he was hooked to it for a strong 4 hours. He couldn’t let go off the book without reading it one go.

“That was a great read dad”, said Alok.

“I know, feel the difference now?” that is what a real book does. It sucks you in to it and shows a world so surreal, which in every way seems realistic.

“Yeah, suggest me some books from your Book-Shelf and I will read them”. Alok’s father was beaming beatifically now, which was uncanny.

“Sure, I will and on every birthday of yours, I will gift you one book from my favourites of all time”

No sooner did Alok realised that books were his best company; one learns to be alone when he is with books. His father has always told him that, feeling lonely? Grab a book.

Exchanging the knowledge about the new novels Alok read and his father read was the only talk Alok had with his father in a father-son manner, rest were between an angry father and a frustrated teenager.

Every Birthday from then on, Alok woke up to a new book by his side and he looked forward reading it with utmost enthusiasm for it was his father’s all time favorites!

His father has always told him, “no matter what, no matter how grave the times may be, never stop reading books; they offer you a lot of new things and change your life in many ways, do remember I have managed to keep away from the gloomy days of my life by clinging on to a book. The show must go on regardless of what one is going through, because the audience applaud at the end of the show, not in the middle of it.

The prospect of earning on his own and gifting his father a book, always lighted him. A glow of pride passed on from one end of his face to another. And, then decided he would buy book with the pocket money he has been stashing under the bed for almost a year now and gift it to his father on his birthday.

“Get up Alok, shouted his mother, it is your birthday today!”

“He woke up and felt void, the time froze and everything around him seemed motionless, there was nothing on the bed, no book wrapped in colorful wrapped sheet, he felt sick to his stomach.”

He went to his drawing table a pulled out a sheet of folded paper and put it in his pocket; he freshened up and put on the new clothes he bought the other day along with his friends. He went to the nearby book store and went straight to the lectern that read “fiction”, and pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket. He started crossing the sheet of paper several times and then stopped and looked for a book in on the shelf.

“I will take this one” he said to the shop keeper, paid him and left the shop.

“Hey dad, sorry I am late, I woke up a little late today, was up all night reading The Godfather.” Well, guess what I have been planning to gift you a book on my birthday today, here you go, he pulled out the book colorfully wrapped in a sheet of paper and placed it on the ground beside his father’s grave.

Alok’s father died of a cardiac arrest a month before his birthday 3 years ago. Alok never really was bereaved; he knew there was no need for anyone to take care of him, for he had “books” with him. Tears never really stirred emotions in him nor did the loneliness.

Alok always has learnt that, "One has to be attuned to everything that life throws in one's way." 

Alok slowly tore up the layers of wrapping around the book, sat on the ground, and started reading. A drop of tear rolled down his cheek but, he felt nothing because deep down inside he knew, no matter what, no matter how grave the situation may be, “The Show Has to Go On”.

Adios!