still I’m not retired

That’s Friday morning. I was still on bed. Something I missed to start that day. Yeah! Muah from my girl. Every day she kisses my forehead before she leaves bed. I wonder what happened today. I opened my eyes and searched her. She is again gone to her twenties. I found her running here and there, hmmm.. I smelled nice aroma. I forgot, our child is coming tomorrow.

I teased her “Oye.. old lady for what you are running without bothering this gentleman”

She scolded “what you want me to do now. I prepared chapattis for you. Have it soon. Don’t disturb me.”

My child is coming after a year so she is excited a bit, no to the core.

I found her hang up on cardboard, I shouted and came towards her “ai… what are you doing, why you are now hanging up there”

She replied in pity voice “I need that vessel to prepare sweets”

Smiled and said “my loose… you are now 60… get down… get down… let me take it”

In sarcastic voice she replied “oh you youngster, are you still 22 for your information you are also 59… hmmm”

We both smiled and I tried to reach up and took that vessel were she balanced the stool. I saw fear in her eyes. More than when she is up.

She is ready with a list and started to read.

“this for son-in-law, she always says that he loves my preparation and this for bingo, she loves rava laddu, ven pongal for my child”

I saw a childish smile, same as when I proposed her. I felt my girl still…

She vanished and I found her in kitchen.

Almost evening, my girl called us through phone, they are supposed to start. Though many times even she gone there and came back alone too. She is still advised them how to sit, stand and get down.

I thought she is still my kid. But when she is advising her own kid, I laughed to myself.

I commented her, “better you try for airhostess job my princess”

“at this age you want me to go”

“so what you are still gorgeous then teens my love”

“hmmm.. poda loose”

Don’t what it’s but every time she said poda I grow younger. This is retired life after done with every thing, fulfilling all my responsibility. Living in the hands of a girl we love at 60 is heavenly life.

That whole night she scheduled everything, where and all can take her grand daughter to.
She revised it more than twenty times. She gasped suppose of talking.

At last Saturday has come. We were ready to receive them. I heard the news of that acceded in flash news. We rushed to airport. I can describe it as war field. Full of fire, sound of cry, human eyes are with tears and hands full of blood.

She held my hands tightly. I enquired a policeman; he responds calmly, “please you people wait out of sight sirs.”

I removed her hold and walked towards the ambulance. That was she, my kid and her man. Beside I kept my eye on my princess. She is searching me in that crowd. I controlled my tears and I hold her hands and walked towards outside. She stared at me. I knew what she likes to ask.

A reporter shown mike towards my face,
“where are you from sir, do you like to add comment about this accident. Did you lost any… anything”

I supposed to say “everything” but disparately I turned other side I noticed a little girl standing near a fire engine with tearful eyes. I ran towards her and keen in front of her and hugged tightly for a minute then took her up. She was nerves.

She asked me “thatha, why mom thrown me out of flight. Where is daddy?”

I hugged her tightly and holed my girl’s hand. She tightens the hold.

That moment I felt ‘still I’m not retired. We have to grow up with her.’ I kissed our bingo and finds way to hospital. All the way I heard,

“If the airport authorities had helicopters at their disposal then some more lives could have been saved. Even the fire engines took time to reach the crash site, and that also compounded the problem,”

A reporter said “A 2006 safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization listed India as worst on “technical personnel qualification and training”.