Part 5 - Moving

Contd from Part 4 - Some answers

The last two days were a whirlwind, packing, discarding, planning, and again packing. I looked around the empty house, the one bedroom and kitchen seemed so spacious now. My steps felt heavy as I moved to pack the last of the boxes, only Pa's cupboard was remaining. Ma had gone to say her last goodbyes to the neighborhood. She had said it would be too difficult for her to see his belongings and had asked me to do it. "How is it any easy for me?" I mumbled and opened his cupboard.

The first thing I noticed was Ma's photograph clipped to a hook on the back wall of the cupboard. Her kohl eyes bent down with her red bindi directed at me, her lips hinting at a shy smile. How very romantic of Pa I thought but...wasn't he just a keeper, a protector of his best friend's love? That's what Ma had told me, her exact words being "Anuj suggested we got married to save me from the humiliation. We had no choice. I always had deep respect for your Pa, and yes perhaps a kind of love too developed between us....but he never said much...you know how he kept all his thoughts and feelings to self!"

I took the photograph and kept it in my pocket. The rest of Pa's belongings were not much. Few clothes, on office folder with all his documents, a telephone book, his T.T. racket among other things. I quickly kept all of it in one box and was about to tape it when I saw something peek out of the last shelf. I bent down to recover a book, leather bound, the pages strung together with string. A diary? But Pa was never quite the writer, and as far as I knew he disliked to keep a journal or a record of any activity. But what did I know? It seemed I never knew my parents really! "Beta done? The taxi is here" I heard Ma shout from downstairs.  I quickly slid the book in my bag and sealed the box, "Coming Ma!"

The train hooted and chuffed and slowly started moving....it all seemed surreal, leaving behind the city that I had grew up in. "It's for the better!" Ma said, I really wanted to believe her. I smiled meekly. "Moving forward, moving away, hopefully moving in the right direction!" I kept repeating this in my head. "Ah I almost forgot, look Ma what I found" I reached for my pocket and showed her her picture. "Where did you get this?" she seemed astonished, not really happy. Her expressions confused me. "Where else Ma, in Pa's cupboard of course. That's a silly question!" I teased. "Well, I remember exactly when this was clicked. And it's strange that Anuj had this! When he, your father, was leaving for the army he had requested a photo of mine and Anuj clicked this and gave it to him. Anyway, forget it!" she shrugged and closed her eyes, soon to be fast asleep.

I was getting fidgety. I always carried a novel or a magazine while travelling but in the rush I had forgotten to purchase one. It was then that I took out Pa's diary. I didn't want to read it in front of Ma. She wouldn't have approved of it. But she was still deep in her slumber and I was curious. What I saw completely baffled me! They were a series of letter and notes strung together to form this book or journal, or whatever one might call it. The handwriting had a certain resemblance from somewhere but it certainly was not Pa's writing. It struck me like a lightning. Was this...could this be from my father...my birth father?

(to be contd.)

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 8th – 14th December 2013
Day 3 prompt was Books!