18-year old Anand walked up to the army camp gates, boots crunching down on the pebbles. Creak! Went the gates, as he stepped inside, heart pounding beneath his ribs. On the other side, just behind him were his family, sniffling.
“Hurry!” Said Anand, ushering them into the army camp reception. He led them to the dull counter. Forcing back tears, he knew that he’d have to stay for 2 years straight, not having the sweet freedom to meet them at all.
“Name?”
“Anand Akhila”
“New?”
“Yes. I have come for registration. This is my family.”
“And they know the terms?”
“Not sure.” Anand replied hesitantly. He looked back at his family, gesturing to step forward.
“What are the terms sirji?”
The man at the counter glanced down at his ledger, unsure how to say the truth. It was
the hardest part of the job. Sighing multiple times, he decided to be blunt.
“For 2 years straight no contact is allowed.” He tried to make eye contact.
Anand’s grandmother dropped to her knees, her sari now stained with mud. Eyes red and anger boiling beneath their skin, they left, great sorrow rising up their throat, the eerie truth of not meeting him.
This was his first time away from home. Ever.
A couple of weeks later, Anand’s birthday arrived. He woke up to a joyful feeling, but the memory of the registration dawned on him. Quickly, he changed into his uniform and rushed into the registration room.
“Sir!” He said, and saluted.
“My father was part of the local army regiment. May I have special permission to visit my family today? It’s my birthday.”
The man frowned and checked Anand’s details on the never-ending ledger.
“Right. Uh… I’m not sure, but this time around only, understand?”
“Thank you sir!”
The car ride home was peaceful, and once he came back home, a big celebration was ready.
“Anand! You’re home!” His grandmother pushed through the half-crowd and squeezed him till he got breathless.
“Love you beta.”
Anand smiled. He decided not to tell them now that he might not be able to come next year.
“Thank you for waiting. My pariwar is the best.”
The next day, when Anand awoke in his room, at his home, he yawned and walked down the stairs. 15 minutes later, Ding-dong! It echoed through the room. His mother opened the door, yawning.
Suddenly, a boomy sort of voice made Anand wince. He recognized that voice. It was the voice of the head of the army camp.
“I have reasons to believe this visit has gone over allowance.”
Anand’s father shot him a look saying ‘you didn’t extend your stay with us?’
Anand slumped against the wall, feeling guilty about this surprise take away.
His grandmother blocked the doorway, choking with sobs as she said,
“Don’t take him away, don’t, please. Please, please, please.”
Soon she got up and dropped to the floor, as her daughter, Anand’s mother, took her to the side. The rest of his family stood up to them, and Anand cowered behind the couch, not knowing what to do.
“ENOUGH!” Shouted his father, voice as if it could flatten every tree, and crumble every house in a 1,000 km radius.
“Anand, my son. You will quit the army force to stay with us. Good riddance, head of camp. I hope you have a good rest of the day.”
The next day, instead of being stressed if there was going to be a test or an out of the blue exam, he awoke to a beautiful morning, the sunshine blooming into his room, and his grandmother no longer sulking.
They had a quick party, and what happened was to remain a story, for the next few generations.
That is the end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it. One thing that’s great about this story is that it shows how much your family loves you, and wants you to be with them.
One Response
Very Good Story