Short Story

There is no joy

by Yasmin Jaldin

Ken was the only child and he was blessed with all the good things in life to live in comfort. A young lad of ten, he attended a prestigious College and was chauffeur driven to school. Coached in every important subject by a host of tutors, he had the good fortune to participate in various sports and extra-curricular activities and his pet sport was tennis.

His parents were employed and they hired a trustworthy ‘Appu’ to do the cooking and maintain their palatial bungalow and a gardener to tend to the large garden who also went on wee errands. The driver after dropping Ken at home from school left for his father’s office to return with him later in the day. His father was a Managing Director whilst his mother was a Chief Executive Officer. They worked in two different establishments. Practically, they were so engrossed in their vocations attending to their office work, conferences and meetings, they just had no time to spare even for household or trivial matters, thus the reason to employ valets.

Shame

Sometimes Ken’s father left home very early even before he was awake and return late in the night. Regrettably, he did not see his father for days in a week. His mother too returned home late in the day, by that time he was in bed, when she would just pat his head and re-arrange the coverlet already laid by the faithful Appu. Sensing his mother was in his room he pretended to be asleep and with half closed eyes watch her actions; he could hear her ask Appu if he had been mischievous and had dinner. Just imagine, she was so busy with no time to say a ‘good-night’ to him, heaving a deep sigh he would go to sleep.

His parents did not even have the time to peruse his home-work books or inquire into his day-to-day activities, so he had to depend solely for the tutor’s help. Fortunately he was clever in his studies. What a shame he thought to himself, when in the mornings before mother left for the office, she would say,

“How are you son, do you need anything”. It was only then that he would blurt out for any monies required by the class master and for any extra stationery; she would hurriedly hand over some cash and run to get into her waiting official vehicle.

Returning home after school he disliked to eat in the dining room and ignored the table carefully laid by the Appu. He would grimace and say “serve me everything in a plate, let us all eat in the kitchen”.

“Punchi Mahattaya, please don’t do this” and he would plead and protest with Ken saying it would cost him his job.

Gardener

“That will not happen, I will look after you”, Ken would say ignoring him, and leave for the kitchen.

While he was at meals, Appu and the gardener took turns to relate many village stories and their escapades in their youth, until he finished lunch. They were so interesting, which brought forth vivid pictures of the village to his young mind. Appu and the gardener, they were his good friends. Virtually Ken’s time was spent in the kitchen where he finished his home-work chatting to Appu, while he prepared dinner. Knowing that it was useless waiting up for his parents, he had early dinner and retired to bed. He looked upon Appu as his sole companion and he is my godfather he told his friends. I do not know what I will do without him, he had disclosed to his best friend.

On the days his father returned home early he was literally speaking to his friends on business affairs on the phone or watch a match on TV. How he longed to chat to his father and play a game of cricket with him. Whenever he suggested, his father would say “I have to go to the gym, I will be back soon to play with you”, but he returned late with many excuses, instead he was forced to play with the gardener, his father had no time for him.

Evening

It was the same with his mother, when she would walk in after seven in the evening carrying a pile of office files. She was bringing her office work to be finished at home. Her usual words which he hated to hear, “I am very tired, I shall lie down for a while’. Could they not finish their work in the office, perhaps they would have been idling or gossiping wasting their time. He wondered why they were earning so much and for whom, with no spare time?

The week-ends were also gloomy, his father leaving suddenly to the outstation to inspect a project or his mother leaving for the office to attend a meeting. Wasn’t this state of affairs most terrible? At times when he was ill Ken preferred to attend school rather than stay at home since he loved to be with his friends, he needed company, why, there was no joy at home. He loved the kite season, the gardener helped him make different shapes of kites in contrasting colours, and they had fun flying them high till late evening sitting on the balcony, this relieved his boredom.

Lonely

The most dreaded were the five days at the end of the month. It was Appu’s off-days, when he left for his village; it was most wretched when Ken really missed him feeling very lonely. The few days dragged on as a long month for him, he cried secretly at times praying for his quick return.

Even the gardener’s soothing words did not pacify him. When he returned with sweets and knick-knacks from the village, it was joy once again for Ken, he would repeatedly tell Appu, “don’t go again; the next time you leave I shall accompany you”.

“Punchi Mahattaya, I missed you too, well, let me ask Loku Mahattaya one day so that all of us could visit my village” said Appu with a smile.