Even if I want, I can never- EVER- forget 24 December, 2013- a Tuesday, that Christmas Eve.
I, along with my father and my brother, had gone to Park Street. Park Street looked so beautiful. So cheerful. The lights, happy faces, clicking pictures, wearing the Santa hat. We’d to park our car because the crowd was increasing and parking slots were occupied quickly so we parked our car somewhere near my college. Now I had this idea. Since I was now traveling alone and being confident about knowing the (confusing) routes of Lord Sinha road and its adjacent, I thought of giving them a tour. They would always make fun of me because I am (was) very poor at remembering routes. Especially of South because I had newly started traveling alone, so I declared that I would take them to this restaurant near my college for supper.
Sparing you with the acute detail- I couldn’t find that restaurant.
After searching for two hours for that restaurant, somehow we managed to reach there.
Yep, credit goes to my father.
While eating, he told me that since the beginning he knew I was taking in the wrong direction but he didn’t interrupt because he wanted to see if I can prove what I claimed of. He said this in the most polite words, but the bezatti I felt that time, ufff.
After having the supper, we made our journey of fetching our car.
Suddenly, the strap of my sandal stripped.
Oh, the horrors!
My father hates any form of sandal/slippers.
I always wear shoes with jeans, but I don’t know what made me wear sandals on that particular day. I barely own three pair of sandals and that also because of my mother. I always prefer shoes/loafers/anything that covers the front of my foot. [I am just too conscious of it getting dirty (true story!)]
But luckily this incident happened in front of a footwear shop! Haha! New shoes. So HAPPY was I! We went inside.
I had all type of footwear except for loafers. So to complete exhibition of footwear, I opted for loafers. But there were only three colors to choose. Violet, Maroon, and the Nude. I hate violet. Didn’t give much thought to Maroon and hence eyed for the Nude.
And trust me, the nude color was looking so gorgeous that time.
But now I realize, it was because of the magnificent lightings.
I showed them that I want this one. I didn’t even bother to ask about any second opinion about it. Bus yeh chaiyeh toh yehi chaiyeh- was my attitude that time.
Then my father paid for it, we got the bill and went away.
“Yahooooo! My collection of footwear is complete now.” I exclaimed.
My happiness knew no bounds.
We reached home and then I was so excited to show this to my mother. This was the first time I had done a shopping without her.
Excitedly, I clicked a pic and sent her.
Mummy: “Kaisa color hai yeh? Dark shade mein leti. Waise, Kitne ka?”
Me: Bhaai, “Kitna ke hai yeh?“
He made a sign of four and three zeros
I laughed and said, “Kya yaar, maths nahi ata kya? 400 mein do zeros hote hai.”
He laughed harder and said, “Pagli, I know. Yeh 4000 ka hai.”
I did not believe him back then. I asked for the bill and I kept looking at the bill for half hour in the hope that it must have been 4-0-0 and not 4-0-0-0 !
THE VALUE OF ZERO!
I WAS SHOCKED. But most importantly I was irritated. How could my father allow me to purchase SHOES worth four zero zero zero rupees, yaar!
I have never cried for any “thing”, but I cried for THIS! That also for an hour!
Then I went to my father and asked how could he allow me to buy it? The pricing was irrelevant!
And truly speaking, it did not even look like a 4000/- worth’s.
He said, “The look on your face when you saw it clearly showed how desperately you wanted it. Now, your exhibition is complete. Be merry! And tumko price ka kya hai? Tumhara bank toh main hu abhi.”
But Papa, yeh toh irrelevant hai. Yeh 4000 ka lag bhi ni raha hai!
“Jab tum kamaogi aur tumhare bachche koi chij aise mangegey tab batana mujhe ki tum unko mana kar paogi ya nahi.”
But Papa…4000 kya hota hai! F-O-U-R T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D ka shoe! That also this color! Kitna jaldi ganda ho jaega. Kaise color hai yeh. CHIIIIIIIIII!
“Koi baat nahi, tumko nahi pehenna toh mat pehenna. If it’s good, its a memory, it something’s bad it’s an experience.
[Smilingly he said,] Kya tum ab samjhti ho ki earn karna and spend karna kya hota hai?”
I swear to all God, that was the DAY OF REALIZATION for me. It’s so easy to spend. Spend the hard earned money of our parents. The things which they do for us is immeasurable and incomparable. That day made me realize the core of everything. How ruthlessly we spend our parent’s money on irrelevant things.
It’s not like before this incident I would buy things senselessly but, yes, to some extent I would buy things and never use it again. I would buy things just to keep pace with my friends. You know, for the show-off purpose.
BUT THIS INCIDENT MADE ME REALIZE HOW WRONG WAS I.
Not even once had my father ever refused me of anything. Surely my mother did, but never my father. My friends would complain how their parents would restrict them and I used to stay numb because I had no complaints regarding this. And it is because of this I realized how hard it is to earn and easy to spend.
Today marks a year of that incident. I can never forget that day and I don’t even want to. It made me responsible, literate enough to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant. Earning and spending. Necessary and unnecessary. My pro-and post attitude. I am not ashamed for calling myself a spoiled brat. I was. It was my past. Now I am sensible.
For the fun part, it also made me realize that whatever my mother says turns out to be true -sooner or later. She told that this color would get dirty soon and I would not wear it often. I argued a lot back then, but it’s the truth.
To tell you the truth, I did not dare to shop for 7 months. I WAS SHIT SCARED. But she made me realize that all of us make mistakes and if not for those mistakes we would never improve and realize our drawbacks.
Now, speaking about the condition of the loafer- The Nudes- its majority dirty now. I make it my habit to brush it before and after wearing. I realize the importance of everything now, the littles and the bigs. And I’m so proud of myself for it.
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| The condition of the loafer on 24 December, 2013. |
You see, we remember the importance of looking good only when we are about to step out of our house. ‘Oh, am I looking presentable?’ ‘Am I looking better than her/him?’
It’s not only about projecting presentable to others. We should cherish and protect our things- big or small- because one day when we will look back at our lives and things, we’ll see how all these impacted the way we are now.
I can say I’m more independent now. I want to do things on my own and make my parents proud of me. And hopefully fulfill all the wishes they have from me.
That day made me realize a lot of things; positively for a better life.
