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The circus
It was just an ordinary day or it seemed until my father asked me if I wanted to go to the circus. I was amazed and happy as well, because it was the first time he had done so. I did not waste a moment in complying with my heart’s desire and agreed to go.
We got ready on time and went to the ground where the circus was being held. After parking our car, we went to buy tickets. There was a long queue in front of the ticket house, and it was clear that it was going to take a long time for us to get the tickets.
We were standing behind a family, which consisted of a husband and wife and their eight children. The children were well-mannered and standing simultaneously in pairs of two holding each others hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clown and animals they would see in there. Their eyes were shinning with the light of excitement and faces were beaming with happiness. They all were dressed properly, but the faded colours of their clothes were showing that they have been washed many a times. It was obvious from their appearance that they belonged to a poor family and their actions said that they were visiting the circus for the first time. Their parents leading them were standing holding their hands. Their eyes were full of love for each other.
Time passed slowly and all the time I could not stop myself from observing the actions of those innocent and cute children. Finally their turn came.“Eight children and two adult tickets please,” the man said to the lady at ticket house.
“One hundred rupees,” the man at the counter said.
“What?” the man fired back.
“One hundred rupees,” the man repeated, this time a bit loudly.
It was crystal clear from the astonishment of that man that he did not have enough money to buy the tickets. His face started glowing red with shame and hopelessness. His face was depicting the image of his mind which was full of tensions. How could he tell his anxiously waiting children that they could not enjoy the circus because their father could not afford it? His wife, on the other hand, unaware of the situation was looking at her husband with proud smiling face, but soon the look at her husband’s face shattered her smile.
Suddenly, I saw my father next to that man. Giving the man a hundred-rupee note he said, “Brother, you dropped it in the parking area.”
That man held my father’s hand tightly and said, “thank you”. His wife was not in a condition to say anything but a tear at her cheek expressed all her inner feelings.
That day we did not go to the circus. On our way back home we did not talked to each other, an unknown gap had overwhelmed both of us. When we reached home, shattering away an unknown shyness I hugged my father and said, “Dad, I am proud of you.”
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