It was apparently midnight, just I fell in to sleep I got a miscall rung in my phone, that waked me up . I guessed it might be my better half’s. definitely it was hers. When I called her back, she started to talk me, but I noticed only the sounds of my younger boy who murmur sitting in the lap of his ma. He begs to her saying, “ tell, ma , to come tonight it self.” 3 year old boy in his tender voice requested to me repeatedly to fly back to him. Whenever he asks the same, I tried to divert the subject enquiring to him what kind of toys he needed. Now he feels fed up with such hollow offers. He does not believe in formalities. Some times he declaim to receive my calls arguing that he had talked every thing to me. Once he asked me to come there at night, I replied it is dark now, so I cannot. Then he asked to come early next morning. I put the excuses forward for my inability to have trip to there saying ‘ I cannot travel without air ticket, boy. I have no money to purchase a flight ticked right now, so I will be there within a few weeks, ok ?. ‘ he told me, No, baba, you come by walk, please.” It was his style. He left no room for any excuse for me.
One year long life together with him in Sharjah city made him closer to me. Now he feel s bitter without me. As he first reach to me around two year back, landing the flight in the airport, he perplexed why I was not there inside the port, when they came out ,the anxiety inside him increased to double missing outside also. Unfortunately, I was not able to present that dream time in that place to receive him and my other family members. Nobody, even my better half, could not be convinced the reason behind my absence there. But the work place situation in the gulf countries so bitterly hard to be suffered for an average man in the world. So mechanical and pathetic is the daily life of an employee. The parents got no option of parenting and child care for stipulated time schedule of works. Terms like Baby sitting, play school etc added into the normal life of expats.
My friend keeps in his memory of a cohabitant man who was sitting in the balcony puffing out a cigarette in late hours of one night. The friend enquired to him why Is he not going to sleep. He went on the job thoughtfully. This made my friend to insist on realizing the reason. After repeated persuasion he replied: tomorrow is the day of my daughter’s wedding. I could not take part to the function. But I hardly managed to send the money because I am here. He has been working here for around two decades for weave a better life to his family, a bachelor life. The word bachelor is misnomer used for every married man lives apart from his family, may it old enough to quit job and pack to home land. Each time they have a journey to their home land they make honey moons with their beloveds. Many workers cannot go for leave for more than expected for fiscal issues. Normally people have only a role of financial minister of the family. So they would be forced to postpone their vacation trip may times for budget deficit. It would be better to narrate one expats bitterest experience in life. When he entered home to make the ambitious event of get together with the family his son, who had only the acquaintance with the photos in side the home, felt unfamiliar with him. He started crying that night saying some outsider has dwelling in my bed room, so the ‘outsider’ should be evicted instantly. It took weeks to win a friendship with his son. The father for each child in the home is visitor arrived with sweets and toys for children. All expat worker here dreams a journey to their family and begins to search for dress and households which he surprised.
On an evening walk in the city streets of Sharjah, I was looking for a slipper with a crowded peddler , one man took a pair of tiny slipper and extended to my wife enquiring to her whether it is fit for 4 year old girl. At first this rouse the perplex in her and finally she realized inability of man for guessing the size of foot of his pretty daughter to whom he had bid farewell before 2 or more years.
But it is vey usual scene that every man roam around the city shopping malls for purchase dream things for their beloved family members. And the children count the days for falling the day of their dad’s arrival.
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