Conscience Keeper

I was getting ready to head to work, and it was going to be 9:30 am. I hurriedly finished my breakfast and got my shoes to wear. My father who was finishing his morning puja quipped. “Looks like your driver has arrived late today”. 

That wasn’t the case though. I had seen him arrive as usual at sharp 9, just before I headed for my shower. 

“No, pa. He arrived on time as usual”. 

Papa said with a triumphant smile, “Not bad. You can still notice things”. 

He was as usual, ribbing me for being late to work. 

These conversations are a routine at home. As they say in Kannada, ‘ನುಂಗಲಾರದ ಬಿಸಿ ತುಪ್ಪ' for me (‘hot ghee in the mouth; cant swallow, can’t spit’). By any chance I return early from work - because there was no more work to attend to, or because I wanted to head somewhere, he quips, “Have you taken a half day off?” Mind you, it will be almost 5, and yet this sharp jibe finds its mark. 

My dad was in the State Government and worked for 41 years before his retirement. And, he took pride in his work. I remember my childhood when he would bring work home during weekends, and toil through Sunday to finish it all. No wonder, he finds my attitude towards work as lax. 

Even when my dad is away (or I am posted away from home), I feel his piercing gaze if I am heading late to work, or if I leave anything unfinished at the office, or arrive home early, for even any valid reason. He without doubts is my conscience keeper.