"Yeah, Go to hell! What do you think I care for you? Dont be mistaken foolish old lady. It was a mistake I married you! I can still write and get prettier women than you, wait until i reveal my masterpiece " shouted Mr. Rodrigues. It was his wife on phone. Jeffery just stood and listened as his dad furiously put down the archaic receiver. He could almost see fumes puff out of his dad's ears. Mr. Rodrigues had not hung up properly, as the receiver lay half hung. Jeff could hear his mother swear hard, in a language he had become used to by now. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez fought too often. Jeff has by now begun to yawn every time he would hear a hue and cry being raised when he was at either's house. He often wondered why they married in the first place. Roger Rodriguez pen named 'Rod' had been a famous author in his time. He was one of the most loved writers of his time. His writing style had a certain earthy appeal to it. He had begun his career early into his youth and had become a object of craving for most women. Not as if he was a handsome dude. But his writing made an alter ego which found place in most women's heart. Women, a particular specie which has a tendency to go weak in their knees for men with artistic aura.
When they first begun to fight, his parents, Jeff used to think hard if they would have ever loved each other. He would curse the moment they met in the first place. He dreamed of a life where he had a different pair of parents, placing sometimes another women for his mother and the very next moment putting up a differnt father with his mother. But sooner then he thought, he realized it would have been the same if he replaced any of them. He chuckled on the thought that at least that way one household was bared the tragedy he faced. He could bet on any day that there was no worst recipe of tragedy then the one he had in his own house.
It was just five years back that the two of them decided to move away from each other. Ever since Jeff had been constantly swinging from one home to another. No matter how much they fought yet he loved both of them equally.
"What are you looking at? Hmm?" asked Mr. Rodrigues still angry. "Nothing Dad, You actually forgot to place the reciever right" Jeff replied with a cunning smile.
An hour later the two men were practically running towards the City Hospital.
"Hello, Is it Mr. Rodrigues Residence?" asked a lady with a formal tone, she sounded anxious.
"Yes, it is !" replied Mr. Rodrigues in his coarse baritone.
"Sir, your wife Mrs. Laila Rodrigues has been admitted into the hospital, she has had a mild heart attack. since you are her husband it become our duty to inform someone from her home.................................... Hello! Hello! Sir are you there? "
Mr. Rodrigues had hung up even before she could say anymore and the two men, the son and father ran for the Old Maruti stationed outside their house.
As Jeff pumped his leg hard onto the accelerator trying to wriggle through the heavy Mumbai Traffic, he could see Mr. Rodrigues trying hard to fight against the tears that had already begun to roll over his cheekbones. Small water filled dug holes formed all over Mr. Rodrigues wrinkled face. Jeff could not do the two jobs of driving and consoling at the same time, so he chose the former.
It wasn't until twenty minutes of excessive rash driving that they reached the hospital.
Mr. Rodriguez ran as hard as he could towards the main gate of the hospital, swift enough for a septuagenarian. Jeff could hardly catch up with him, as both dad and son reached the ICU ward. The doctor said that Mrs. Rodriguez' condition was stable and she was being kept under vigilance until she gains her consciousness.
Mr. Rodrigues didn't move a bit for the next six hours until finally Jeff interfered and asked him to come sit in the waiting lounge.
"Care for a ciggarette Dad, one won't harm in such condition." asked Jeff.
"No, She would not like it." said Mr. Rodrigues.
Jeff could not believe his ears. Ever since he had gained his concious, he had seen his Dad as a Smoking Engine.
For moment he felt hysterical and commented.
"Come on, as if you care Dad!". But he repented the moment he uttered those words.
"I love that old lady inside that ICU ward, Son! I love her like anything. I have never loved anyone as much as i love her, ever. Not even You." said Mr. Rodriguez with pain filled eyes.
"I am sorry Dad, I know you do. I just said so because i have grown up with you two fighting all the way through it." said Jeff with guilt in his voice.
Mr. Rodrigues sighed. He took a deep breath and begun.
"Remember Son, when you asked me why do we not get divorced? It was strange for me that it came from you. " asked Mr. Rodrigues.
"Yeah i do remember Dad. It was the day when you two decided to move away" said Jeff with a questioning tone.
"Why do you think son, i never divorced her? It was because i have loved her every moment of my life. Do you think i am an old wearing man with shaky hands who can not hung up a phone properly. It's just that i want to listen to her voice. I have loved her voice ever since i first heard it." said Mr. Rodrigues his eyes still watery.
"I met your mother when i was Mr. Nobody, I met her when Rod was not even there. I had just stepped my foot into the world of writing. I wrote crap back then, but she was the one, who read every bit of it. She stood by me, she supported me through the harshest period of my life. Every time i fell, evry time i felt down, she was the one who pulled me through it. Even before i came to know her properly, i had realised that i loved this women like i never loved anything. With the birth of 'Rod the writer', came all the accolades. I had my mood swings, i ignored her, but this women she never once left my sight. I had all the wonderful looking women crowding me, jostling for one moment with me. But yet she never swayed a bit. I often ill-treated her, questioned her, distrusted her, yet she stood by me. Do you think i am fool enough to let go by a women as wonderful as your mother. You know the reason why we fight day in and out? Do you?"
"I guess, I did, but now i don't Dad" said Jeff Honestly.
"It was some years after my books had won enough laurels, that i proposed your mother. she accepted it after a lot of pursuasion. She had her own reasons. She feared that i might end up loving her forgetting my first love which was writing. But it eventually happened. Just after we got married, i become so possessive for your mother that i stopped writing about anything else. All i cared was to write about her. Every story of mine after that, had a hint of hers. She became my muse. She loved it intially, but soon she begun worrying, for she had always feared this would happen. She did not want to come between me and my writings. So we had our first ever fight. But i was too possessive, i would not part from her for any reason. Be it the writing. Ever since then, we had been fighting over this very issue." said Mr. Rodrigues heavily as tears welled through his eyes.
"Dad, you two are the most wonderful couple, i always had these feeling, that was the reason i loved you irrespective of your fights. I would have done anything just to bring you two together" said Jeff heartily.
"You are my son. You are just like me. but as you said you would have done anything to get us together. Do you really want to do something for me, then do this onething for me" said Mr. Rodrigues.
Mrs. Rodrigues finally gained her consciousness as the sun begun to rise for its routine task. Mr. Rodrigues was sitting by her. She opened her eyes to find him smiling.
She smiled back and the two kissed. The two love-birds sat with their hand into each others hand. It was not untill several minutes passed that Mrs. Rodrigues finally said a word.
"Where is jeff?"
"He must be here any moment, i had sent him to bring some change of clothes for me and also told him to set things right." Mr. Rodriguez winked.
"Set things right?" asked Mrs. Rodrigues all puzzled.
"Well, i thought an old lady like you, with a weary heart shall have some strong man to look after her, so i sent him to get your things back to where they belong to." said Mr. Rodriguez in a jesting manner.
Mrs. Rodrigues smiled as tears rolled through her eyes.
"It's about time i guessed" She said mischieveously.
At that very moment Jeff arrived with a bright smile on his face. He hugged his mother and handed over the packet to his Dad.
"This does not look like clothes" enquired Mrs. Rodrigues.
"It's a Little present i had kept for you all these years now. I wanted your approval before i went on with it" said Mr. Rodrigues.
She opened the packing to find a shiny freshly printed book which read "Possessive and Proud". She realised it was one work which Rod had kept under wraps for all these years. She knew it was the masterwork he had been talking about all these years.
She could say nothing, she could see nothing. Her eyes went watery and tears welled out of them, her voice choked. She knew how much she was loved.
It took her several minutes to revive herself out of the ecstasy of the moment.
Five days later as the trio walked out of the hospital. Mr. and Mrs Rodrigues had been planning to do this together all this time. As Jeff grabbed the car door open. The two asked him.
"When do you intend to get married, Jeff. You are already thrity five"
"Come on, How could I? I am too possesive" Jeff said with a chuckle.
The Possessive and Proud End !!
