Festi-wall!

 

The day is about to get over and he finds that he’s still waiting for some of the reports that should go aren’t yet on the table. Instead of calling up his deputy over phone, he decides to walk to her cabin. As he nears the cabin, he realises she’s on the phone with someone. He hears her say, “Well, because of the death of a relative in the village, the in-laws had called to tell us not to celebrate the festival. It doesn’t matter to us, but little Varun will find it difficult to understand, as he was looking forward to keeping Ganesha at home”.  She notices him through the glass, pauses her call, steps out and tells him, “boss, the reports will be on your table in the next ten minutes. Sorry, a family call I couldn’t refuse”. He nods his head understandingly and heads back. 

He and the deputy share a good rapport. He decides to invite her and family for lunch on the festival day. “Heard you saying you aren’t celebrating the festival. Why don’t you guys join me at home?” She confirms after consulting her husband and son. 

The lunch is a simple affair, mostly. Three different varieties of rice, a couple of vegetable curries, plain rice with tiLi Saru, curd, and carrot halwa with ice cream for dessert. No meat, keeping the sentiments of believers in mind. The young boy’s moods too appear better as he indulges in playing his favourite video game and an entire tub of ice cream, without parental disapprovals. “We planned to hit the beach for the evening. We will get going”, she says and her husband nods his head. 

As they’re about to leave, he calls the little lad, and says, “here is something for you”, and hands over a bag, with a box inside. “What’s this, uncle”, Varun asks. He is still at an age where one is happy to receive any gift. “Open it and see”, says the mother. The boy rips off the wrapping paper over the box and opens it to find a wooden idol of Ganesha inside. 

“Now, you have your own Ganesha. You don’t have to ask for one each year!”

“Wow, it’s beautiful, uncle! Thank you”, he hugs the benefactor. 

His deputy asks him, in hushed tones, “But, aren’t you an atheist?”

“Does that go against your faith? To gift a little one what he desires?”, he ribs her, good-naturedly.

“The answer to Varun’s disappointment was right in front of us, but only you saw it”, she squeezes his arm in gratitude as they all file out of home. 

#tinytales 

#veryshortstories