My recent visit to my hometown, brought back the memories of my dad. I visited the river side where my dad used to take me and my younger sister on weekends. He pedaled his bicycle from our house to the river bank with us on his bicycle.
We were left to play in the water which was shallow and he waited for us on the river bank. After an hour plus me and my sister came out of the water and changed our clothes and followed dad.He pedaled his cycle to his close friends house and we were served tea , fried bananas and samosa.
Looking at my dad and his friends speech , I realize how close my dad has been with them. I mean they were his very close friends, until I heard my dad was telling them how hard he tried to win my mother's heart to get marry her. According to him, my mum was very passive and did not respond at all. He said that he approached my mothers only brother and be befriended him and after became good friends only, he got the chance to get married to my mum. According to my dad my mum was a very brave lady but very firm and strict with guys, that's why she did not respond to my father's approach.
When ever I'm alone I used to recall those beautiful moments and my dad's conversation with his good friends and how close he moved with his only brother in law, Mr. Narayanasamy who was a plumber attached to water works department. A very hard working man, who even on weekends, when he is not working did part time job as a plumber and sold vegetables. All his earnings were used to support his two step children.
My dad when ever at home called me and asked me to read the wedding invitations and the news letters and asked me to explain to him. The reason he asked me to read was, he wants to know or to test my literacy from year 2.
Dad was the only person who really observed my character. I even heard him telling his friends," she is very different than the other children, she always walks back alone from school and always on her own, seldom I have seen her with her friends". I was only ten at that time when he uttered these words to his friend.
Almost all my needs were fulfilled at home so I never had any extra needs or expenses. Food was cooked at home by my sister, I mean every meal was prepared at home. So we never bought food from outside.
Every evening almost around 4 to 5 pm, me and my sister send tea to my dad who was on call. When on call, he is not allowed to leave the office and need to be there until phone rings and my dad need to follow the driver who is there waiting for him, being a fault finder with CBE (TNB currently) it was a whole days work, at times dad goes in the van few times a day or sometimes just wait in the office when there is no case.
Those days there were no facilities as they have today. My dad used to climb very high double ladder which was so tall and several times he fell down and broke his leg. He would be on leave until he was able to walk again, this occurred several times. His last fall was when he was 52 and he had an attack which caused him to lost his life.
when I see The Electricity board workers, especially those fault finders performing their task, in a crane which functions as a box and takes them high to the pole, I wonder , If these facilities were available during dad's working years definitely he would have been alive now and live with us.
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