Hey Dad! Meet My Mom (5 page)

“I am your son, dad!” he coolly said and smiled. I loved that smile. I had seen this smile. Long ago. But where?

“How can this be possible? I have no son, I am not even married. And let’s assume somehow you are my son then why can only I see you?”
The biggest question of the century!

“I am your future son, dad.” He said and laughed at his own joke.

“Are you a ghost?” I asked keeping my face rock strong. No expressions at all.

“No. Just a memory of your mind. That’s why only you can see me.” He said seriously. He copied my expressionless face.

“Memories belong to the past but you said you are my future. Right?” I countered him.

“Okay.... ” He seemed to be thinking. “Okay, then assume I am a ‘possibility’.” He had caught me with that! I had nothing to say about this topic now. So I changed the whole subject.

“Why did you come? If you are my future then you should show up when the time comes. Why now? Have I got some ability to see the future or something?” I knew that I was talking rubbish but the situation demanded that all these questions be asked.

“You wouldn’t have asked me this question if you had the ability to see the future.” He said and paused. That pause seemed more weird than awkward. Rishi definitely knew something that he was hiding from me. His eyes were screaming the secret out but the lips were shut.

The seriousness instantly vanished and again the ‘Jolly Rishi’ came back. “I came to help you. To help you find my mom!”

“WHAT?” I said. That was unexpected.

“Ya! I had to come. Because with your current speed of approaching a girl, my future mom, my birth will be delayed for more than a decade! Believe me, you are VERY BAD with such matters. So I have come to help you with finding my future mom!”

I said nothing, just smiled. Huh. this couldn’t be real. Was I that bad? I must’ve been the first father whose son had come from the future to help his father find his mother. I couldn’t believe this.

“What? You still don’t believe this. First lesson dad! Accept changes quickly. Time will flow away and you have to flow with the stream to keep up with time. Why can’t you believe that I am your son? Just look at me. My face resembles yours and my habit of sucking a lollipop; go & ask grandmother how much you liked it and you know why I am so annoying because you were also........ ” He kept on talking just like an insurance agent over the phone.
Annoying!

“Okay I believe you.” I paused for a long breath. “So Master Rishi, what should our next step be?” I asked him sarcastically.

“First, we should name it.”

“Name what?”

“Our mission..... It should be known as Mission ‘Finding Mom’.” He was just like me; naming every task before starting to work on it. So organized!

“But why ‘mom’? She’s not my mom. I am not going to name it ‘Finding Mom.’” I said.

“Don’t be selfish every time and try to focus.”

“Hey Dad!” He said in a harsh voice. He raised his index finger and continued, “Meet my Mom.” I looked back and saw her. She was standing just behind me; with open hair and red eyes, she took my breath away in fear.

“I told you a lie.” Rishi continued “I am not your future son.” Then he smiled, in a weird way. Both of them laughed, while I was left trembling in fear.

“So where do we start?” I asked Rishi who was busy playing ‘Flappy Bird’ on my phone. He was damn good at it. Usually when I tried to play this game I had to throw my mobile away in frustration after 4 or 5 chances because I couldn’t even cross the score of 5. I even uninstalled the game several times but then again gave it one ‘last chance’. That was my attitude towards everything, I tried, got frustrated, I threw it all away thinking I couldn’t do it but then again I gave it one ‘last chance’.

“Hey are you listening? Stop that fucking game.” I shouldn’t have used that word in front of a 10 year child and too my own son.
Fuck!

“You used that word again. Remember? I can read your thoughts; loud and clear.” He gave me a strange look and again pinned his whole attention on the screen. “One last chance!”

I quietly lay on the bed next to Rishi and waited for him to talk again. I closed my eyes and slowly slipped onto her lap in my dream.

She had a spark in her eyes. Her magic wand was her hair locks. She waved her hair on my face and I got spell bound. I couldn’t blink, I couldn’t breathe; I was lifeless but still I was alive just because of her. She leaned a little lower to whisper in my ear. I could feel her warmth. That softness of her breast, rubbing over my chest was arousing every single beat of my heart.

“I love you!” She whispered to me. It was not the first time I had heard this but this was the first time it felt real.

“I love you too, Roshni.”

“I love you too Roshni.”

“Dad! Wake up. DAD!!!” Rishi was sitting on top of my chest and I was feeling choked. I was unable to breathe. I turned over as a result of which of which he toppled down from my chest. I began to pant heavily.

“Oye! Puneet! Get ready soon, we are going to the market.” Mom came rushing to my room. I tried to control my breath but she noticed my uneasiness.

“Oye, Puneet! What happened
beta?”

Nothing mom, you get ready, I am coming out in half an hour.” I said and sent her out.

She left in silence; maybe thinking something. I shifted my attention to Rishi. He was quietly sitting with his eyes fixed on me.

“Who is Roshni?” He asked me in a serious tone. “Do you know her?”

“No. Why?” I said in a casual way while taking a small yawn and stretching my body.

“Then why were you saying, ‘
I love you, Roshni?””

“Who? Me? No. Not at all.” I was lying and even I knew that I was lying.

He kept looking at me continuously and then finally I said, “Okay, I was actually dreaming about her and then I don’t know how this name ‘Roshni’ just came to my mind and I just said it.”

“Are you sure? I mean, about this girl, was she the same one?” He asked me suspiciously.

“I think so.” I paused and then continued, “Well, you should be the one to know it. Since you can read all my thoughts, you must have the ability to enter my dreams too. Right?” I said in a high tone.

“Yes, I can enter there but do you really want your child to enter your dreams?” He asked me and I felt as if I was caught by him red handed while committing a crime.

No, I would definitely not like my son to enter my dreams and know my wildest, strangest, horniest dreams. Well, that would certainly be embarrassing.

“Correct!” he said and with that I quietly entered my bathroom and Rishi started playing his ‘Flappy Bird’ game again.

Chapter 7

“
Bhaiya, aaloo kaise diye?”
I was in the local vegetable market and it was the one place I hated to enter. My mother inquired from yet another vendor about the potatoes.

“15
rupay
kilo.” The vendor said while packing vegetables for another customer.

“Itna mehenga! Bhaiya peeche to 10 rupay kilo de raha tha”
My mother said and I was shocked to hear that. Why? Let me take you 5 minutes back in time.

Flashback.

“Bhaiya, aaloo kaise diye?”
My mother asked a vendor pretty casually.

“20
rupay
kilo.” He said without any eye contact. He was busy fighting with another customer over some polythene issue.

“Poore market me to 15 hai.”
I was amused at how she knew that. Was there any kind of secret newspaper circulating just for ladies where things like daily gold rates, daily vegetable rates get published?

The vendor did not reply and then she moved to the next vendor.

Coming back to the present.

Mom left that vendor too and proceeded towards the next one.

“Mom, what are you doing? He was selling at the right price, right? You yourself said its 15 rupees in the..... ” I wanted to know the tactics behind her move. Was she there to buy vegetables or just to negotiate the rates with poor vendors?

“Tu chup kar!
You know nothing about bargaining. It’s an art,
beta ji.
It can’t be learnt, it comes naturally.” She said and moved forward. I stayed there and watched my mother. There was a kind of spark in her. She loved shopping. Shopping was like medicine for her. She had been so worried about me yesterday and now she was again back to being her normal self. I was happy for her but on the other hand I wanted to run away from that market soon. It was too suffocating in there.

Vendors were continuously shouting out the prices of their commodities. Aunties were busy bargaining. Children were fighting over different issues and I was standing in between them carrying an empty jute bag.

I continued following my mother and watched her succeed in her bargaining championship. She finally got her “10 Rs. per kg” potatoes. She was more than happy. I smiled; amused about the whole event and suddenly I found a reason to widen the smile on my face a bit more.

My dream girl was in the market too. She waved, and I waved back at her. The world around me vanished and I walked towards her.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” I asked her. She had a mesmerizing effect over me. I couldn’t resist staring at her.

“Actually I was here to buy movie tickets. Someone advised me to buy tickets from here because they also provide free popcorn at the interval. Isn’t that exciting?” She said and totally confused me.

My confusion was visible on my face. I looked at the ticket- seller. He was wearing a torn T-Shirt that read the line: ‘I hate all girls except the one reading this!’ I could have bet that the vendor had no idea about what was written over his shirt. He was looking at me with a blank expression and I was looking at him with a suspicious look on my face. How could he sell movie tickets?

Then suddenly I heard the most melodious laugh ever. She was laughing and it was like everything else had stopped and there was nothing around me except her.

“What else can I do in a vegetable market other than buying vegetables?” She continued laughing and I continued to adore her beauty.

After the peals of laughter, came an awkward silence. I wanted to talk to her but nothing was striking me. I was blank and strangely she was also quiet. I looked around to seek help. My eyes searched for Rishi but he was nowhere.
Damn Rishi!

“So are you alone?” I asked her and I saw her expressions changing frequently.

“No... Actually... I... my mother is also with me.” She said. I didn’t know why but it felt like she was lying.

“Okay, I am also here with my mother.”

“Mother! And your wife?”

“Wife? No, I am single. Unmarried.” I replied as quickly as possible.

“Puneet!” Mom called out my name from somewhere.

“Alright, then see you next time.” She said and put forward her hand for a shake. I felt her hand for the first time. It felt like rose petals.

She left.

“Puneet!” My mother again shouted and brought me back to the reality of our surroundings.

“Who was that girl?” She asked instantly, as I reached her.