My grateful heart to a perfect hero

Perfection

Meteors let go past the sliced moon in the pockets of a dark pulsing  thundered. No one can say how long it will rain. But the five years old girl is determined to find him. She has not moved from the left side of the car window .Her anxious eyes are glued to the glass, hoping to see her special person on the side of the road, may be in another car. She sighs. I hope he is safe. Her uncles and aunt waited for a long in the airport even after the last passenger picked up her luggage  but he was not there so they decided to return to the hotel. Suddenly the little girl’s penetrating gaze comes to rest on a familiar face inside a navy blue cab on the left. All the cars have stopped on the red traffic light. Immediately she rocks in a happy rhythm and her pale face flushes. She swipes the stray hair from her forehead to one side and screams. “ I found him! Open the door. Stop, do not move.” The driver, both her uncles and the aunt roll down the rain-soaked windows at the same time and look through the window. Their excited voices fly sharply towards the driver. “ Driver honk the horn and pull the car to the curb”. Yes, after a long drive in an overly crowded city in heavy rain they find the special person.

Suddenly the world is perfect and the little girl Sue is in paradise. The special person is Sue’s grandfather who returns from his trip from America. Sue and her grandfather open doors of their car and the cab at the same time, and run towards each other. The special person is Sue’s grandfather. Her grandfather lifts Sue from the road and swings her around. Sue wraps one hand around her grandfather lovingly, while wipes her tears with the palm of her left hand.Then they both laugh an absurd but charming laugh and hug each other at the same time.

Sue’s grandfather is not only a rich business man but also at the same time a publisher,a writer,  a very intelligent, honest warm-hearted simple person. Sue is the second eldest among the fifteen grandchildren. Everyone in the family, in the friend’s circle know that  Sue is her grand father’s favorite. One late afternoon in June, the sun is out of control. Sue tries her best to color the flowers brightly on a coloring book but the sweats drip down from her forehead and makes it hard to concentrate. She lifts her eyes from the book at the shrill sound of the bell on the  front door and the barking of the dog. As she opens the heavy oak door, the delivery man from the nearby convenience store smiles.“ Your grandfather has sent these for you.” He says and hands her the basket . She can not carry that heavy basket so she opens it right there at the doorstep. O’ grandpa you are the best! , Sue claps and giggles at the sight of the cold drinks and ice-cream inside the box. Her grandfather knows the perfect time to send the right stuff to his grand-daughter.

As the time passes Sue’s interest grow more and more into reading. She loves her grandfather’s elegant study room. The long rectangular room is stocked with walnut furniture and a renaissance bookcase of an ancient oak full of literary fictions, non-fictions, poetry. As if the heaven is right there in that room. In every summer the new collection of books come and decorate the book shelves.  Sue curls up on a chair with her favorite book. Delight blooms on her small face.

In some evenings after supper Sue sits with her grandfather on a couch. His speech is always pretty to hear. “ Do you know that your body carries language within it; a timeless seed of meaning.” He would continue. “ It is the outward manifestation of your inner being. So it is very important to be a good human being. Practice from now-be honest, truthful, help others, respect others.” Sue is almost nine and enjoys every bit of the wonderful time with her grandfather.

One summer afternoon. The  fourth year college final exam result appeared in a letter, Sue was disappointed.  She drops her head until she could see the reflection of her unhappy face in the polished surface of the table. In that night she lay wide-eyed for an hour on the bed but could not sleep so she walks into the open terrace and stands in the gathering darkness. As the night darkens the Milky Way spread like powdered glass above the head. She hears a heavy footstep from behind. Her grandfather appears. “ Come, sit here on the chair. I know you tried your best. But never give up,” he said, “ No matter what. There is always a road out. Try again and you will be successful.”  Sue could not see his face in the dark but guessed he was really concerned. Sue wipes her tear and hugs her grandfather. He is always  a hero for Sue.

Smiling at the memory, Sue moves closer to the widow, Just like the days her grandfather and she used to watch the stars in the night. The flashing silver stars wiggle, illuminated by a cheddar-yellow moon. Sue lifts her eyes. “Thank you grandpa for everything. Happy Father’s Day!”