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The very uncertainty of life scared me and it’s then I decided to tell Shreya I had feeling for her. I didn’t expect anything from her. I just had to tell there wasn’t anything I wanted to leave undone. This is what uncertainty had taught me. I told her, and she kept quiet for a while and said,

“See rabbit, I like you but I can’t get into a relationship”

“I don’t want an answer Shreya am just telling you, after what has happened am scared and I don’t want to leave anything unsaid” I replied.

“Hmmm”

“Let’s cut it here, I said because I had to, and done, am not talking about it”

“Okay” she said and we went back to being normal.

Present day

8:15AM

I went to the veranda of the hospital; I wasn’t surprised to see the crowd stand as they were when dad had been brought to the hospital. He was a hero in their eyes, he had won battles for them and for them he was always there. It was the public, they loved him. He wasn’t just a leader or the Prime Minister, he was a revolutionary who had shown them dreams and fulfilled them. A loud roar welcomed me as I stepped out and waved. They wanted to hear what I had to say.

“Your prayers have the power and they have saved him”

They cheered and applauded.

I went on, “He is not in danger, but he is yet to come to consciousness, doctors say he will be fine”

They continued the cheer and applause.

I waved again and went down to the press conference. The entire nation was waiting for this, and it would take 5minutes to tell them.

I went down to a room, and sat down at the table with all the microphones of different news channels.

“The doctors say he is fine and will regain consciousness in a few hours, the moment he talks he will ask me about you people, and then he will talk to you, he hasn’t lost a battle and this battle of life you didn’t let him lose, thanks for your prayers”

None of this was political; it was all what the heart wanted to say and definitely that’s what they wanted to hear. We did not have to frame anything, dad had taught me that talk what the heart talks, do what the heart says, and that never goes a waste. It was this that the people loved he cared for them like his own.

I walked back to the ICU, held his hand again. I started recollecting about his political career.

He had told me that he always wanted to be in this field, and today I know why. He always said

“I want to die a death, where people cry of sorrow and remember me for my work”

Today I know he had accomplished it.

I smiled with pride.

Never did he let me feel for a second that I wasn’t his son.

I remember the day he took me home; he had just joined the youth congress, Mumbai. He was passing by the police station in his car when he saw a group of kids being taken to the police station. He stopped and enquired what the reason was.

The constable replied, “nothing sir, all these kids are bloody pick pockets”