THE WAIT-I

It was a humid saturday afternoon.Abdul was lying restlessly in the hammock which was netted at the portico of the building.His trembling hand wiped drops of sweat from his face.He could feel the heat,his skin burning but Abdul lied over there.It has been years since Abdul first entered this place.For him life has changed ever since except for the saturdays.Over the years this is one day Abdul waits for.Restless and impatient like a child he refuses to leave the portico staring at the gateway.The scorching sun,the violent rains and the biting cold has failed Abdul retreat into his room.This is the day he waits for all the week,the day when he would meet his grandson Abbas.
Abdul,a widower was old.His face was worn out with wrinkles.His hands trembled.His back was hunched and he walked with a with the support of a stick.His brown eyes were pale,his vision was blurred.His memory had started to fade but Abdul still remembers the day when he first stepped into this place.The day when his wait had begun.The wait to go back,the wait to live in his own house which he had bought,the wait to live a happy life with a loving family.21 years has passed since the day but Abdul is still waiting.His friends in the building tell him to stop waiting and hoping for something which is never going to happen.But Abdul never listens to them.His life in this buliding is woven around hope and he says that his wait will end with his life.

The building is an old age home named as 'SAHARA' where many old and helpless people like Abdul live.Each of them had their own reasons for turning up to this place.Some were dumped by their families and some had no families to live with.Though they themselves had formed a family and managed to live their life between sheer penury,they had one thing in common.All of them were unwanted.Years back when Abdul was left here by his son he had problem adapting himself to the austere lifestyle.He consoled himself

thinking that it was a matter of just six months and his son would take him back once he returns from his business trip.The official trip required Mushtaque (Abdul's son) to go to the US for six months.Fatima(Abdul's daughter in law) and Abbas was also to accompany him.Abdul was quite old to take care of himself if he stayed back.So it was decided that he would shift to the old age home for this six months and Mushtaque would collect him once he returned.Months passed,years passed,Mushtaque returned from his trip but he never mentioned anything about taking Abdul back.Every saturday Mushtaque would come to Sahara with Abbas and Fatima to meet Abdul. Any mentioning of Abdul's return was always ignored by Mushtaque.Initially he cooked up lame excuses but as days passed Mushtaque made it very clear to Abdul that he has to stay at Sahara.With passing days their visits to Sahara to meet Abdul declined.It was in 2-3 months that Mushtaque paid the visits.He blamed it on the work pressure.Abdul could do nothing but wait each saturday for their arrival which was met with sheer disappointment most of the times.
His heart ached for Abbas,his grandson.He missed him every moment.He missed the joy of seeing Abbas grow up in front of his eyes.His cried silently every night as his heart longed for Abbas.It was only on some fateful saturdays that Abdul could meet him.

As Abbas grew up his bonding with his grandpa grew stronger.He would wait impatiently for the saturdays when he could meet Abdul whom he called as baba.On saturdays,he didnot wait for Mushtaque or Fatima to accompany him to Sahara.After school he drove his cycle to Sahara and spent entire evening with his baba.Once he took his walkman for Abdul so that his baba could listen to music.He read him stories,told him about the world.They discussed about stars,moons and galaxies.Abdul told Abbas about his childhood days,how he grew up,how he went to college,got married.He told him about his wife Sahiba and how she died delivering Mushtaque.He told him about his hardships in bringing up Mushtaque alone,without a mother and the love that he showered on Mushtaque for which he never missed his mother.

Abdul told the same stories to Abbas over and over again and everytime he heard these stories he could see the pain in Abdul's pale brown eyes,his longing to be with his son,his family.Many a times Abbas requested his parents to bring Abdul back to their house but all his pleas were rejected.With each passing day Abbas got more and more closer to his baba.He found a friend,a companion in him who loved him selflessly.His cravings to be with his parents who were too busy in their professional lives was fulfilled on the saturdays when he sat with his baba and chatted.

to be contd......