The way from my house to my son\’s school is quite a long journey ( approximately 13kms) and has stretches of road that are totally deserted with farmlands on either side of the road. When we shifted to our new home I realized that going to my son\’s school in a two wheeler (which I did often in the previous place) would be a risky proposition now. But considering I am not that comfortable driving a car, there arose quite a few occasions where I had to take this risk( as cabs are not easily available at our place). On one such trips when I had to pick up something from his school, as fate would have it, I found myself in a tricky situation that I always feared… As I was navigating the stretch of road with farmlands on either side, my vehicle suddenly refused to move. I applied accelerater and it just produced loud noise but the vehicle didn\’t budge from it\’s place. I looked around; not even a single soul was in sight. In desperation I switched off the engine and turned it on again, but the problem was persistent. Thankfully one of the mothers picking up her child from school passed me by on the same way. Looking at me struggling with my scooty she was kind enough to turn around and ask me if everything was alright.
\” Looks like my vehicle has broken down\” I replied.
Then on further enquiry we realized that she was going the same way and she happily agreed to drop me till the road leading to the school. I pushed the vehicle till the nearest safe place, parked it there and went with her. After finishing the school work I enquired about the the nearest scooter mechanic shop( which ironically was 2 kms away) walked all the way till I located this small shop cum garage with just a few two wheelers waiting to be serviced. A middle aged person was repairing the bike. I approached him and narrated the entire story and told him that I had parked my scooty about 3-4 kms away and had the need to get it working to go back home.
\”Can you share the location where you have parked it M\’am so that I can go and get it? \”he asked me. That\’s when I realized that it had never occured to me to do so and I was left with no option but to accompany him and show the place. Walking back again would be laborious and time consuming. So he offered to take me in his scooter(as cabs are not available at all times in that area).
\” Don\’t worry M\’am, you sit in the pillion while my daughter sits in between us\” he said to make me more comfortable.
That\’s when I first noticed a small girl about 4-5 years of age sitting in the back of the garage and scribbling away with colour pencils. I wondered what the child could be doing and guessed that she might have been visiting her father at work for some reason.
We proceeded to get my scooty to the garage. On the way back while he pushed my vehicle to the shop he asked me to ride his scooter and take his daughter back to the shop.
\”Will she be ok coming with me?\” I was about to ask him while she happily hopped on the vehicle and gave me the key with a smile. As we came back to his shop I sat down with my phone while he got down to inspecting my scooty and the little girl was prancing around.
\”Go and finish your homework \” he instructed her.
\” Which school do you go to?\” I asked her with a smile.
\” I have put her in a private English medium school\” he replied before her, his eyes beaming with pride.
She sat down in a corner, opened her bag, took out her books and started writing.
\” She is very fast at learning\” he said with a smile.
As he opened up my vehicle and started inspecting all it\’s parts, it made a huge noise, but the little kid continued with her work unmindful of the engine roaring.
\” How come she is here? Where is her mother?\” I asked him.
\”She has no mother\” he replied.
I looked at him questioningly as he told me his entire story even as he worked on my scooty.
He was in Gulf, happily married but with no kids when his wife passed away due to prolonged illness. With a heavy heart he moved back to India and opened the garage. A friend of his had three daughters and his wife was expecting for the fourth time. He was adamant on having a son but feared having a daughter again( sad reality of our country). So this man offered to adopt his friend\’s child if he happened to have a daughter again because he was very fond of kids, especially little girls. As promised, when a daughter was born, he adopted her with all heart. After sometime he taught of remarrying again just to ensure that his daughter does not feel the absence of a mother in her life. But as he soon realized his second marriage was a big mistake as according to him, his wife only wanted his money and property and had no interest in the child. To make matters worse she started fighting for his house, he claimed. To make peace with her he had to give up his house to her..
\”So where do you live now?\”, I asked him, totally in awe of his generosity.
\”Here, in this garage\” he replied casually.
His answer shocked me. This man was living in a garage with his 4 year old daughter! I looked around to see any signs of domesticity in his workplace. There were none that were obvious except a school bag in the corner.
\” I work till 6 pm after which the garage work is done. Then I have a bath and cook here, outside with a small stove. I prepare whatever my daughter wants to eat .Meanwhile I also wash clothes and give my daughter a bath. Then we both eat and go for a walk, play and then go to sleep\”
\” Where? Here?\”I asked in disbelief.
He pointed to two folded mattresses tucked away in the upper rack of the garage and nodded in affirmative.
I looked at this father-daughter duo with a mix of astonishment, wonder and total admiration as words failed me.
Here was a person working full-time as two-wheeler mechanic and also bringing up a child single handedly.
Being women we generally pride ourselves with our abilities of multitasking but this man here, had learnt to ace it. And he did this for a child who he had willingly adopted from her biological parents and whom he nurtured to the best of his abilities. He may not have been able to give her even a proper house with basic facilities but he had succeded in giving her a wonderful home in his heart. This was possibly the best parenting lesson that I had ever got in my life. That materialistic comforts are not a prequisite to great parenting. Neither is the biological bond with the child of any importance. Nor is the gender of a parent of any consequence. All that one needs is a heart full of love and a great nurturing instinct. And it seemed to me like he had plenty of both.
\”It\’s done M\’am, your vehicle is ready\” he interrupted my chain of thoughts.
\”You are a great man\” I finally managed to tell him as he handed me back my fully functional scooty and it\’s keys.
\”All that I wish for is a bright future for my daughter\” he said, stroking her head lovingly.
As I paid the bill and got ready to leave I asked him for a photo with his daughter. He obliged only for her sake but had no interest in posing.
\” Drive carefully M\’am, you have a long way to go\” he advised me wisely.
As I drove away, his words reverberated in mind. I was for once grateful that my vehicle broke down for it gave me an opportunity to meet this man who managed to break down a complex concept of parenting and render a charming simplicity to it. He made me realize that I really had a long journey ahead of me as a mother; but thanks to him, I saw the way forward with greater clarity and in a new light..
P.s: This is a true story.