Moumita De Sarkar

I wanted to tell him sorry but I didn't say a word.

APOLOGY TO A FATHER FROM HIS DAUGHTER
Every girl grows up appreciating her father. My father also was the best man in my life and so was I, the apple of his eyes. Both of my parents had worked hard so that me and my younger brother can have a nice upbringing and a brighter future. My father made relentless efforts to develop in us a sense of discipline, value of hard work and the ability to be calm, patient and respectful towards others even at hard times. I tried to be disciplined and hardworking but I could not remain calm and respectful even towards him many times.
I remember, I had started working and lived outside my hometown; came home during holidays.It was during one such trip, my train was late. I was struggling to take my luggage out of train and was tensed thinking if I would be able to catch my flight back home. My father was calling me in my mobile at the same time. I thought that let him call, I would call him back later. But he was calling me repeatedly (probably a bit worried) as I was not answering his calls. Finally, I picked up his call. He asked me politely, “Have you reached? Was the train late?” Without thinking anything, I shouted at the top of my voice and replied, “Yes, the train was late but I have reached safely. But you can also be a little more sensitive. When you can see I am not answering your calls, then there might be some reason, right? I can be busy picking my luggage or in anything important. You will never realize it and go on calling me again and again. Why can’t you be more patient and wait for me calling you back instead of irritating me like this.”
This was the first time in my life that I had talked to my father in such a rude manner. I received a long silence from his end and then he told me in a low tone, “Okay, come home safely.” I realized what I had done, I had hurt him like anything, when he was just worried about my safety. I wanted to tell him sorry but I didn’t say a word.
After many years when my younger brother, who works away from home, sometimes doesn’t answer repeated calls, for whatsoever reasons, leaving me in an anxious state of mind, I remember what my father exactly went through. Today, my father is no more and I can’t say SORRY to him for what I did that day, even though I badly want to apologize. From that episode, I have learnt that life is very short. You never know when someone you love is suddenly no more. So we should always try to be compassionate toward our parents and loved ones as much as we can. This is the least that we can do for them.
Moumita De Sarkar