"All I did it, was for you... for us ....and" she raises a hand to motion him to stop. Tears were all that she was surrounded by at that moment. He sighed with a long pause and continued to speak, "alas! What has this all boiled down to... I stay out , I stay away to work hard so that all I earn decorates our own little world with dreams and things which I didn't get during my time or you didn't get in your's but our child does.. But if being away is tearing all the happiness apart , what's the use of all this?
She sniffed, cleared her throat to speak in a firm tone trying to address the despair in front of them- I haven't ever asked anything from you all these years, but you very well knew that Sunday is the only day we always try to bond atleast over the dinner table. Today also we both were waiting for you to come over at the breakfast since you'd left early. You could have atleast informed us that you would be late. The years that have passed between us, I know but the child has always waited "For you" and don't know when will the wait to forge an everlasting bond will get over for you know like everything else , trust needs time!
All he could do , was sigh into the teary empty eyes of his child.......
The child had already outgrown him by height, but he never could see or experience it. Most of the times , he could only see a body cuddled up under the wrap with a peaceful and serene expression. Sometimes , he was lucky enough to enjoy the momentary bliss of fatherhood where they both would play on Sundays, but now his memory deceived him when couldn't fetch when was the last time he experienced this bliss! The needs had always been unfair on his responsible shoulders and as the age started to take toll, these very needs- for existence, for rare pleasures were becoming ruthless day by day....
Cleaning the plates, and wiping her tears away she longingly tried to clear away the sadness that lay around her family at that moment... The same family, for which she bore more sacrifices than probably any other mortal could have in her place! Before the bundle of hope that entered in her womb, she did it for her husband, for the microcosm in which she tried to exist but after her little baby came to see the first rays of the Sun the link changed! Gaining back her composure, she reminded herself of the perfect facade she created to save her cocoon from the smirks of the evil, selfish and competent world - "Daddy has been late today so that he could work more hard and fulfill that Christmas wish for you since there's hardly any time left to Christmas isn't it?" The reassuring smile from the mother changes into the smile of acceptance of the child , all for the innocent trust between them!
And the father echoes behind... "Yes, its for you!"
