Dad's Challenge

THE PARENTS - Part 7/8 – Dad’s Challenge

Jay spent the next one hour recovering from the jolt that he had so deservingly received and thinking, devising a plan to ameliorate him out of what he had become. Somehow, he was not feeling hungry and he trashed his lunch. At exactly 5:30PM, he shut off his laptop, packed his bag and proceeded to the City Centre Mall. The unexpected call from his seven year old lad had worked wonders for him after what he had been through during the second half of his day at work, and he was now more then obliged to buy him that Colouring Puzzle.

It was always almost near to impossible for him to find a parking at the mall, but today he had managed one instantly as he entered the parking. He was happy at finding one and he mumbled “It’s my day today”. He parked his car and jumped out, with a big beaming smile on his face. He rushed straight to the escalator, running over the steps. All he wanted was to go there, grab a box of the Colouring Puzzle, drive back home, gift it to his boys and give them a bonus hug and a kiss to top it up.

He entered the Carrefour Hypermarket and headed straight to the stationeries section looking for the Colouring Puzzle. He couldn’t find one and he ran around frantically looking for it amongst the sketch books and note pads. He couldn’t find one. He then called out the Sinhalese attendant who walked around lazily wearing a blue ‘May I help you’ T Shirt and enquired about the Colouring Puzzle. The attendant looked lost and started looking for the thing as if he had heard that name for the first time in his life. He squatted down and searched inside the lower shelves, and when he didn’t find any, simply stood up and said “Ser, it ees knot their hea! (It is not there here!)”

Jay was getting tense again and with popped up eyes reprimanded the attendant saying “How do you say that? Aren’t you working here? You are supposed to know where the things are kept”

The attendant scratched his head and called out a Filipina guy with a white shirt and black tie, who looked like his Boss and whispered something into his ear. The Filipina guy came next to Jay and said “Sori saa, mae bb pinis, ttry Lemak moa (Sorry sir, maybe it’s finished, try Landmark Mall)”

Jay stood there akimbo and bore a look of disbelief on his face. He then took a step back and ran his right hand over his face trying to relax his facial muscles, closed his eyes let out a sigh and ran out of the hypermarket.

His next destination was the Carrefour at the Landmark Mall and would require him to drive down some nine odd kilometres. 

He turned on some serious hard rock on his car stereo and drew adrenalin from it to finish off the otherwise fifteen odd minutes drive in just seven. A few speeding cameras flashed in the way, but he didn’t give a damn about it. Reaching the Landmark Mall was possibly the easiest of tasks for the day; the tougher job was getting into it. The road leading into the mall was chock-a-block with local lads honking, talking aloud and proclaiming their phone numbers loudly looking to charm local lassies on their way.

As he waited in the car to get the traffic cleared, he called up home and it was his wife Elle who picked up the phone.

He told her “Elle, it’s out of stock. It’s not there in the City Centre. Is it okay? Can you convince him that I couldn’t get it?”

To which she replied “Oh! Don’t say that”

Jay enquired inquisitively “Why? Is he adamant? Is he waiting? Did he mention that he’s waiting for it?”

Elle replied “Yes, waiting”

“Shucks! In that case, there’s no respite, I guess. I am waiting outside Landmark for the traffic to clear and hope to get it here. If not, I don’t know, what I can do”

Elle replied back “Please try” hearing which Jay hung his phone and waited mumbling expletives at the locals.

After some twenty odd minutes of grumbling, Jay finally got into the mall parking. He parked his car and ran straight into the mall, looking for the Carrefour.

He reached the Hypermarket and looked frantically for the Colouring Puzzle in the stationeries section. There was none. He then dashed straight to the Hypermarket management office, and enquired if they had any piece, maybe in their warehouse, to which the Frenchman working there replied “If izz ee no tdhe in ze stoa, izz no tdhe (If it’s not there in the store, it’s not there in the warehouse too)”

But all was not lost. He still had some chance, and he was then directed to proceed to their branch at the Villagio Mall. “Ye sure fine izz zer. Good Luck! (You should surely find it there. Good Luck)” said the Frenchman and Jay pushed off to the next mall, some thirteen kilometres away.

Jay rushed to his car and sped away, but got stuck in the returning traffic and reached the mall after a half an hour drive. His heart was pounding and he was drained and feeling tired. He had absolutely no hope of finding the Colouring Puzzle here. He walked lazily into the mall and then to the Carrefour, where as expected he didn’t find the thing that he was looking for.

He walked slowly dragging himself and stopped by at the beverages section, where he picked a small bottle of chilled rose milk and gulped the whole of it in one go. He stood there between the aisles, with his eyes closed and head facing the sky above as the chilled drink ran down his throat and cooled his burning tummy and tired eyes.

As he stood there, in that position, relishing his drink, he felt a warm hand on his left shoulder and a very English voice which said “Buddy are your meditating?”

It was his Boss, Dean. Jay opened his eyes, turned around and said “No Boss, I was tired, just wanted to have a drink”

“So, is this the place where you do your daily yoga or you here for some shopping too?” asked Dean, to which Jay replied “O yeah. I was looking for something for my elder son”

“And did you find it?” Boss asked.

“No, I didn’t” said Jay with a heartbroken look on his face and continued “I looked all over, from City Centre to Landmark to Villagio, but couldn’t find it. It’s out of stock”

Dean asked “What is it? Maybe you could try the Geant or some other Hypermarket, maybe Lulu?”

Jay replied “Oh no Boss. We had seen it two days back at the City Centre, but then I didn’t buy it for him. My mistake”

“Why didn’t you buy it then? Were you short of money? Is it so expensive?” asked Dean

“No, it is only nineteen riyals. I didn’t buy it then. During the weekend I had given him a task, which he accomplished well and this was supposed to be his reward. He is waiting for it at home. I don’t know what I’ll do now” Jay replied as his voice broke and eyes moistened.

Dean put his right hand on Jay’s left shoulder and tried comforting him and said “You are his dad and you are a man. Be strong buddy. I have always seen you cruise through easily when confronted with the most difficult situations at work. Deal with it like that, with the same spirit man”

Jay replied “Yeah, but this is personal”

“I know this is personal and I know that lad too. Isn’t he the same guy who graduated from Kindergarten last year?”

Jay nodded suggesting that it was the same guy.

Dean continued “He is a great guy. I am sure he will understand. Just tell him that it’s out of stock. He should understand that”

“I hope so” replied Jay

Dean was Jay’s boss, and there was no way that he would close the conversation without giving him a piece of advice and so he added “So Jay, there’s an important lesson learnt here, and I hope that you minute it in your Life Diary” He then paused for a second and continued “It goes like this ‘If you make a mistake, you pay the price’ and mind you, these are not my words. These were told by our local client to the guy who worked at your position before you joined us”

Jay lifted his head and gave a fake, made up smile and Dean responded saying “Cheers”

They shook hands and Dean left the place, leaving Jay to deal with his problems on his own.

Jay picked two Kinder Joy eggs, paid up at the billing counter and walked slowly to the parking lot gazing around and window shopping his way.