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Happy Father’s Day
Ali’s mother had passed away several years ago. Now, at age thirteen, Ali lived alone with his grandmother in a big house, which made them both lonely because it was so empty. Ali’s father was a businessman, and lived abroad. He was hardly ever at home, and perhaps this was the reason behind the fact that the two were so emotionally far apart. When they ever did meet, they met almost as strangers. Ali never treated his father as a part of his life, and his father stayed as distant as possible from his son because he knew Ali hated him.
His father could never attend the annual school Sports Day, when Ali would often bag a couple of medals, or on the Drama Day, in which Ali would also participate. Ali would often long for a family that would clap for him in the crowd, or take him out to dinner on his birthdays, just like the families of all his friends would do. He often felt unwanted, and un-needed, and at such times he would drown himself in tears, at the same time developing an acute dislike for his father, who never seemed to be there for Ali when he needed him.
One day his grandmother found Ali huddled somewhere in the darkness under the stairs and crying. When she asked him what was wrong, at first he wouldn’t tell her. Gradually, however, he gave in and told her how much he hated his father for not being there. His grandmother sat quiet for a while, thinking of the right thing to say. Then she simply decided to tell Ali a little more about his father, which would perhaps make it easier for him to forgive the latter.
Ali’s father came from a poor family which barely had a roof to live under. It took nearly all they had to be able to afford Ali’s father’s schooling, but sending him to college was an impossibility. Determined to make a life for himself, his father worked at various restaurants and finally gathered enough money to be able to go to college. He worked hard, and excelled in nearly every subject. His report at the end of college was outstanding, and he immediately received many job offers from prestigious companies. It was also in college that he met Ali’s mother, and the two eventually got married.
Life was going fine for Ali’s father: he had a good job, a loving family and everything to look forward to in the future. And then, suddenly, everything was turned upside down. Ali’s mother had a car accident and died. After that his father was a broken man. He stopped taking care of himself and his own mother, stopped looking after his son, and stopped going to work. Predictably, he was soon fired. At home he would not speak to anyone, and would lock himself in one room and not eat anything. The time came for Ali to start going to school, and his father couldn’t even afford to send him to a good one.
In the meantime Ali’s grandmother had a quarrel with her son. She blamed him for not pulling himself together and not taking care of Ali. It all ended with him leaving the house, being told by his mother to return only when he’s found a good job.
They didn’t hear from him till a few months later. He had found a good job with a large salary, but it would not allow him to stay in Pakistan, instead he would have to live in Dubai. He agreed to leave Ali in the care of his own mother, while he worked day and night to provide for his education and other needs.
Now, however, Ali’s father was growing old, and often longed for some love from his family himself. He had never dared to visit, or write to them, too, often because he feared his mother was still angry at him, and his own son didn’t love him either. He thought of Ali often, and wished he could be as other fathers were to their sons. He felt the distance between them, and hated it.
When Ali finally heard his father’s story, he felt sorry for him. He realized that his father had made a few mistakes, but knew he shouldn’t still have to pay for them. He came up with an idea to make the latter feel better.
The next day was Father’s Day, and Ali decided to write to his father. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” he wrote, “I love you”. It was a small idea, but for his father, it made all the difference in the world.
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