My Pa: A Short Story

I had never heard the word ‘inauspicious’ before and I was unable to understand how the house had filled our stomachs. I was confused but I asked, “What is inauspicious?”

“Bad…unlucky!”

“Mother, why doesn’t Pa live with us?”

She was very angry, “Don’t ask me! If you want to know, ask your Pa, who does not like to live with me!”

On our next meeting, I had asked Pa, and he had repeated my mother’s answer, “Sometimes, one happens to be good but others don’t like him, my doll, and it is not essential that good is really good.”

I did not understand what he meant by that.

With the passage of time, I began to understand the meaning of marriage and divorce.

Marriage, as I understood, means living together and becoming mother and father. Divorce means to break the relation and live separately. But I could not understand how people could become mother and father even when they did not live together. At first I found it very strange when my mother and I had gone to live with Daddy in Daddy’s house. My step-father had a son named Oliver, about three years younger than me. I was, I think, ten at that time.

My mother had introduced me to Daddy, “He is your new father, Joseph.”

I greeted him but at the same time begged pardon and continued, “There is only one Papa and he is the only Pa I have. Papa is not old or new, and I have my wonderful Pa.”

I could see that Daddy did not like it because it was visible on the expressions on his face. However, he composed himself and said, “I appreciate your feelings and affection for your Pa, Guria. But, if you don’t mind, you can call me Daddy.”

I began to like him. He loved me very much but I did not like Oliver because he often quarreled with me. I was not ready to accept him as my brother. It took me many years to come to good terms with him.

My mother gave birth to Oscar. He was very cute and I liked him. He has blue eyes, black hair, and fair complexion. When I saw him in hospital, I picked him and kissed him. I liked it.

My mother was happy with Daddy, Oliver, and Oscar in her new house. On the other hand, Pa was happy with Alka auntie and their daughter Rucha. I did not like Rucha very much.

I felt I was the only one who was left alone. I had neither mother nor Pa. When Oscar called my mother and said ‘mummy’ I felt as if I were left behind. Then one day when I met my Pa and Rucha embraced him and called him ‘Pa’ I felt bad and tears rolled down my cheeks. My mother and Pa had found their soul mates and they were really happy but I felt like an orphan.

Pa continued to meet me but I felt that his love was fake and it was only a show.

My mother would say, “I am the mother of Guria, Oliver, and Oscar”. I felt that she was lying.

……………………………

I still remember that day when Pa had come to meet me.

Having finished my hamburger, we were ready to go out. I sat beside my Pa in his car. He said, “Today, I am going to give you a new surprise.”

He often says that and then takes me to a new place, sometimes to a museum and sometimes to an old castle or palace, or to sea shore. We spend our day conversing with each other on various subjects. My Pa gives me a lot of information. Wherever we go, he doesn’t forget to buy souvenir from that place. He drops me outside Daddy’s house before 9:00 pm.

I welcome Pa’s surprises. That day, as usual, I thought that he was going to drive me to a new place and I began to guess but when he suddenly stopped the car in front of a house, I was surprised because he said, “This is our new house, Guria, I mean, our house, my house and my daughter’s house.”