A Software Life!

Note: All characters in this story are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental :P - Chinmaya

His father was talking above his usual voice. He was also too happy as his father. Both were seeing no limit to their happiness. His father was telling each known person that his son has achieved something today, and after 3 days, he is going to be called as "Software Engineer". May be his father was recollecting all the moments where his father was imagining him with a good job and in a good profession. And to his father's belief, "Software Engineer" was that kind of profession that his father thought he is suited for.

He was also too happy to get a software job. He had learned from others that he can get good salary and he could enjoy his life as he had wished. Day and night, he was dreaming about his life he is going to live after few days. He met with all his friends in his village, told everybody about his job, his future life style. Friends felt happy too as one of their friends is going to stay in some metro and they saw him as a super-star. The things he wished he will have in the new life are Good Friends, Great working environment, Great city and above that a Great cool life with lots of money!

He was counting the days to go to the metro. For the first time he was going to stay away from home. The high dramatic life at metro that he might have watched in movies had really motivated him to have a taste of same. Countdown came to zero and he is all set to move to the metro now. A big gang of family and friends gathered to see him off at the railway station and in no time, he left all of them and started moving towards his new dream life.

He reached in the metro. Some new friends had come to pick him up from the railway station. He went to the room. When he entered into the room, he could not believe that was the room he was going to stay. It was so dirty, a surely bachelor room in metros! But he was ignorant of the same; he had never seen that much dirtiness in his life before. Then he started to his office, and he had to catch an auto for that. The way the auto drivers were talking was awkward to him. In his village, there used to be mutual respect for each other, and here he learned that everything is just for money. When he refused to give the money that the driver asked for, the driver just scolded and drove away. Somehow he managed to go to office. Several days passed and his view of a software company started changing. He was thinking that all the people will be friendly and he would have a great life there, but eventually he learned that here people live for themselves. Nobody helps others. All were selfish to their lives; it was not the life that he used to live in his village.

With all his expectations going in the different directions, without his notice, he started missing his family and friends back at village. Now he realized that “Grass is always greener on the other side”. When he was at village, he was longing to be here and now that he is in the metro, all his past memories were waving in his mind. He could not find anybody to share all this as he felt, they would start teasing him and they would not understand him.

Finally, he decided to take some days of leave and go back to his home. Again that was a big process to take few days of leave in the software company. Starting from his manager to higher level management had to approve that. After many struggle, he managed to get one week of leave and started for his village.

After 1 day of journey he reached at his village. All people were waiting to see him, as if a super-star was coming to visit them. All were too happy to see him and talk to him. As he approached his house, his father, mother, sisters and little bother hugged him. They were all missing him a lot and after nearly one year they saw him. But they never complained of this long delay as they thought, he is too happy in the metro and he is living a royal life that they can only dream of.

He had just 5 days to stay at village. In the each and every act and in every minute, he started comparing metro life and village life, to himself, not to tell anybody. Now that he had lived both the lives, it was very clear to him, where closeness is, where affection is, where love is and where is helpfulness. When he went to Raju chacha’s shop (barber shop), Raju chacha became so happy to have him as a customer. He gave little more money to what he used to give when he used to live in village; still it was too less as compared to metro price. He told all great twisted stories of metro to all his family and friends so as to give them a impression that he is leading a great life in metro.

His return time had come and he had to go back to his metro life which he did not wish anymore. But he did not want to tell that to all. He pretended to be happy to go back to the metro. As he was stepping out of his house, his mother kissed him and said "Take care my son". As he replied, “Surely, you too…”, few drops of tears rolled out off his eyes and he just told in his lowest voice “This 5 days were the greatest days of my life” and he left… All family members stood there surprised, as the last few drops of tears had told every truth of him to all of them... !!!