DON'T YOU WORRY... WE ARE THERE

I remember that night. It was many years ago. I was very ill and in the waiting room of a Polyclinic. A series of tests had to be done; I had turned very pale and gloomy. I was a bachelor then… and, I was staying alone in Mumbai. The moments like that can be quite scary… You wish you had someone around to help you… You remember the importance of the family support at times like that. I did miss my family… I needed help.

Just as I was waiting for my turn to come, a student of mine saw me. He wished me and introduced me to his father. When he realized my situation, my student’s father decided to stay with me till my tests were done. I requested him not to bother, and that I would manage the situation. “I am not going out of the way, Mr. Gerry,” the man said, “I am free… Don’t you worry.” While discussing with him, he realized that I was anxious and worried. What he said has always stayed in my mind. “You have taught so many young children, Mr. Gerry,” he said, “I am sure, their good wishes will protect you.”

It was late night. Many, many years have rolled by since that night… and, many, many students, too. I have wondered quite often: “Does it rally happen so, in life?” Do our good deeds attract good results? Do our well-wishers’ good wishes and blessings really help?”

Many a times, I do not see a direct or immediate result. The thought does come to my mind: “Do we just say all these things just for the sake of it?”

About one-and-a-half month back, my wife and myself had booked our seats at our son’s Institute in Pune. As I am writing this post, here in my office in Mumbai, I feel it strange to think that I was supposed to be in Pune at this hour. But, in life, strange things happen, and the events take a surprising twist!

Our son’s institute was scheduled to be dedicated in the hands of our President Mrs. Pratibha Patil, today. The function was planned on a grand scale. Our Governor, chief Minister, Home Minister, Minister for Technical Education, and a dozen political stalwarts, the Delegates from France, several celebrities and business heads… all were supposed to be there. It was a great pride for we parents to be there and we had to confirm our presence weeks in advance for the security reasons.

Both my wife and I were very excited for many days, and, yesterday, we left for Pune very early. We checked into a hotel, not very far from the Institute. The idea was to spend some good time with our son … and we did exactly the same, yesterday. He joined us for lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. We started at 1.30… and ended up at about 4.15. Just we three! It was so relaxing… No rush, no agenda… nothing to worry about… Just one thing would we think of: the grand function, the next day! I, generally, find myself unable to unwind the way I did yesterday. I was extremely relaxed and happy. We went to bed quite early as we were to get ready for the big day in time.

At around four, this morning, my wife’s cell phone rang. A friend of ours was on the line. He informed my wife that at night around two, my wife’s dad had to be rushed to the hospital on an emergency. My in-laws are aged, and they lived alone. So, when this happened, this friend of ours, who lived in the same building, came to help. He had returned home just a while before that and had gone off to sleep when this happened. Still, he took out his car, helped my dad-in-law to the hospital; he was there with him all through the tests, and then he called us up to apprise of the situation… “Don’t you worry, I am here,” he assured us. But, we knew, we had to re-think about our priorities. We decided to rush back to Mumbai. However, we could reach Mumbai only at 11. In the mean time, our friend had his own pressing matters to attend to. So, he arranged a friend of his to be there with my dad-in-law, and they both kept co-ordinating the activities in the hospital. All the while, they kept up-dating us on the situation. “Don’t you worry… We are here!”

Now, that we – my wife and I – are here.

I do wonder, “Do our good deeds pay?”

I keep asking myself,

“Do good wishes and blessings, really, work?”

My wife has only one brother who is settled with his family in the US. When we called him up, he was fast asleep. He was thanking us for being there for ‘his dad’ when he couldn’t. I, along with my wife, kept telling him, “Don’t you worry… We are there.” And, back home, here in Mumbai, we kept thanking our friend for telling the same thing to us:

“Don’t you worry… we are there.”

GERALD D'CUNHA