THE LONG ROPE
Pic.: Nicole Gubin
My
dad was a very nice man, very loving… His boss, too!
The thing that my dad’s boss – a well-educated and a pious
Muslim gentleman – loved about my dad was that he was very skilled and honest.
The thing that my dad’s boss hated about my dad was his excessive drinking.
Drinking was my dad’s huge weakness. He would drink every day but within his
limits. But, on Sundays and social occasions, it would be a complete knock-out scenario.
And because of his excessive drinking on Sundays, he would, invariably, skip
work on Mondays… or go late. Often, he would skip work for many days in a row… He
would, also, spoil work!
But, because my dad was a skilled lathe-machine worker – even
more than that, because his boss was a kind soul – he managed to survive in
that workshop for so long. Any other boss would have thrown my dad out, long
back!
Yes, like all kind souls do, my dads’ boss, too, gave my
dad a long rope to hang on to. He counseled him like his true well-wisher… At
times called my mom to the workshop and asked my dad on his face, “You want to
put her and your five sons on road? At least for their sake, give up your
drinking.”
Patience had its bounds. Countless times, my dad’s boss
was compelled to send dad back home, just the way a concerned teacher would
punish a student with the hope that it would help the student…
But, in my dad’s case, it didn’t. He continued to be a
good soul, loving, honest, gentle and fun-loving… and, he continued to drink
more and more…
Then, one Monday noon, my dad came home for good. It was
the end of the long rope his merciful boss had provided. My mom was the most
affected one. Her five sons hadn’t started working, yet… and she was wrought
with anxiety!
My dad couldn’t work after that. Heavy drinking and
smoking had taken its heavy toll, too. Then, on one Sunday morning, he quietly died
of a massive heart-attack. It was 2nd Jan. For two days in a row , he
had drunken like a fish… So, that Sunday morning, he had come to the end of
another long rope proving by another Master… an all-merciful and all-caring Master.
“Enough,” the Master, too, had come to the end of his patience!
Why
am I saying all this, today?
I am the Hon. Chairman of our housing society. Today, as I was coming
out of our gate, I told one of our security guards, quite intensely, “My
friend, we have given you a long rope… and, it seems, you have come to its end.”
This security guard has been there under this security
agency for quite some time. He has been very skilled in his work and honest, too. But, like my dad, he, too, suffered from the same weakness of drinking. He would
remain absent for three or four days in a row after his pay-day. Recently, our
new Managing Committee called the security agency and asked to change all
security guards, except three. This one was one of the three lucky ones. While
the other two did not drink, this one did. Many of our members felt that he had
to be given one more chance and we told him about it, sternly. In spite of
this, after he got this month’s pay, he disappeared for five days in a row. The
agency chief told us that he would throw this guard out. We said, “Good”. But,
then, two days ago, I saw this guard back on duty!
Today, when I saw this guard, I couldn’t hold back my
words: “My friend, we have given a long rope… and, it seems, you have come to
its end.”
Well,
our security guard is a very nice man, very loving... His boss, too!
GERALD D’CUNHA
Comments
Not many people can talk about negatives of their dad so openly and socially!
That needs courage and honesty!
Security wala had a great boss too! :)