THE LIGHT BLUE SHIRT MAN
Rahul reached first at 9.30 outside Court no XX in Patiala House Courts,
Bench outside the court room were full already. Small kids, old, young ones, people wearing suit to dhoti kurta all milled about outside the room. Rahul did not know what to do and he scanned the crowd to catch a glimpse of his lawyer or Meera and her family.
His Lawyer Arjun had informed him that Meera will be there too and to avoid all contact with her so as not to antagonize her. Rahul phoned Arjun only to be informed that he will be before concerned Court by
Rahul stood near the pillar clutching a single copy of petition in his hand. A small girl at the edge of the seat was crying, "Papa, papa" And she extended her hand towards a bearded tense looking man standing on opposite side of corridor. The man was clutching nervously at a thick brown manila envelop in one hand and avoiding looking directly at the little girl but occasionally he caught glances at the little crying girl.
Other side of girl hand was held firmly by a woman who looked like in her early thirty, obviously she was her mother. The lady was wearing a very shining purple suit with matching nails and even lipstick. She was looking angrily towards the man to whom the little girl was extending her hands.
Then the purple woman mumbled loudly at the little girl, "Don't cry papa, papa. Badi aaye papa ki ladal, look at your papa, he is not even bothered about us. He does not want to even meet you." The lady then turned around to speak to an old lady sitting by her side," What does he know about responsibilities of a father. He does not even want to meet his little daughter" then the purple women coughed and turned around to spit on the terrace behind her bench.
The man in light blue shirt and khaki pants was obviously hearing this and he turned his gaze and he looked longingly at the little girl. His face showed a whole gamut of emotions as his eyes lit up and his lips broadened into a smile. Then the little girl struggled briefly to free her arms and ran towards the man. The light blue shirt bent down on his knees to welcome the girl with open arms.
It happened so quickly but the whirl of emotions stayed etched in all those watching the whole spectacle at one side of the corridor as if everything was happening in slow motion. The man did not say anything; he just kept one hand on the girl shoulder and with other hand caressed the girl’s hair. They remained in that semi frozen position for an eternity till the man reached out for his trouser side pocket to produce a small chocolate.
Little girl eyes lit up and she quickly planted a quick kiss on the mans left cheek.
"Sweet kiss to my sweet papa from little sweetie." And the girl got busy opening the wrapper and devouring the now slightly molten chocolate.
Then the man turned to present his other cheek to the girl. Little sweetie girl looked perplexed at her father and then at her hands smeared with molten chocolate. Her mouth was full of chocolate as she had the full bar in her mouth. She wiped her lips with one hand and her cheeks also got smeared with chocolate.
Almost everyone in the corridor was watching this silent spectacle. There was the silence in the corridor and some people had even stopped reading newspapers and their court papers to watch what happens next.
Little sweetie girl looked perplexed at her smeared hands and wondering whether she can kiss with a mouth full of chocolate. Father on his knees, left eyes glistening with a hint of single tear gazed directly at little girl sweetie. They both were oblivious to the fact that everyone was watching them in the court room corridor.
The Blue shirt man was too overcome with emotions at little sweetie dilemma to speak anything. He just pointed with finger to his other cheek. There was total silence in otherwise very buzzing corridor to watch a man down on the knees and extending his other cheek to a little sweet girl.
Little sweetie girl circled her lips and arched her neck towards the cheek, a faint sound of smooch followed by a loud smack and a cough.
Before little Sweetie lips could touch her father's cheek, the purple suited mother got up quickly and snapped at her daughter hand to yank her away from the kneeling man. Well Sweetie girl’s lips never touched her father's other cheek. When her mother smacked her hand to yank her away, little sweetie coughed up a small bit of chocolate on her father's nose below his eyes.
Purple suit women continued mumbling as she took little sweetie towards the bathroom, "Look, whole dress is spoiled. Some kanjoos people can’t even buy a decent chocolate. Let me wash this filth from you. Filthy man can only buy cheap filthy chocolates."
Little sweetie was too dazed to even understand a word of what her mother was saying and to whom she was saying, "No need for this drama now. You are doing this drama to escape arrest. You will never learn, now see when the police comes" and then purple suited lady made sounds of a police siren car as she walked towards the end of long corridor her purple sandals thumping against the floor was only noise in the crowded corridor full of atleast hundred people.
The light blue shirt man on his knees ran his finger over the chocolate lump below his left eye, chocolate looked like a brown grease paint smearing as in a
Credits: Crusadewatcher
PS.: Prudent Fathers may improve upon the facts turning into fiction Novel writing for our that posterity.........
