New text message received:
Hey my princess I know you’re angry on me, but I’m so sorry as I couldn’t make up for our last meet. 🙁 But guess what I have a surprise for you as my posting is going to be around in our city, I’ll be coming home next week for your birthday.:) Just don’t go mad at me this time, I promise we are meeting soon. Love, daddy <3
A week later she was excited as hell, she was on the seventh cloud not because it was her birthday within 2 days but her daddy was going to come by any moment. All her close friends, relatives and neighbours were invited. The room was decorated with hundreds of balloons of her choice. The music was on its peak, all were gone crazy, dancing and enjoying. But there she stood, trying so hard to hide chaos in her mind, keeping both her eyes on the door, with a smile. She was having mixed feelings of happiness and disappointment. Suddenly her thought breaks as she heard someone calling her name.
“Elena come here” she rushed with excitement towards her mommy as she thought there is some news about her dad. There was not just news alone, it had disaster along by which the tiny world of Elena got shattered.
The news channel was flashing with the headline: “There is a sudden attack on the Southern land border. Our 3 officers have lost their life and 2 are badly injured according to the sources till now. We got to know the names of the officers who are no more with us.” Something died within Elena when she heard the names of the martyrs. The ground beneath her feet slipped away. She was numb and traumatized.
A day after was her dad’s funeral. Holding her mom she cried a hell lot but couldn’t be helped because the loss is much more than that. After the end of the ceremony she was in her room surrounded by loneliness with her swollen wet eyes and thought,
“The most painful goodbyes are the one that are never said and never explained.”
Next morning when she woke up it was her birthday. All things have turned out something unexpected and worst. She started imagining the scenarios what if things were normal as they were a day before yesterday, but the very next moment she came back to reality. With all her defeated hopes she was lying on the couch and suddenly the doorbell rang. There was someone at the door. “Elena, baby come down. There is a courier for you.” her mom yelled. In a confused state of mind she came down, received the courier and shut the door.
She was shocked when she saw the name of the sender, it was form her dad. Quickly she took off the wrap. Tears rolled down off her cheeks when she found the gift inside, her birthday gift, a doll with a pen-drive attached to it.
She quickly played the video inside it. She was mesmerized seeing her dad in it.
Dear Elena,
I’m sending you this video so that I won’t be failing you this time. I have broken lots of promises right from the start. Whether it was the promise to be on your PTA, or at sports day, the time you won an award or the time when you need me the most. I know there is an equal role of both the parents in a child’s life but my part has always been left unfulfilled and empty. But I’m sorry it’s my job to serve my nation first then my family.
Today there is some emergency on the border of Southern land, they need me there immediately. But you don’t worry I won’t be breaking my promise this time. I’m sending this gift so that you can feel my presence there even if I’m not around. I know you might be amazed by seeing this gift but I remember the time when you were small you had a doll. With whom you used to share all your stuff whether you were happy, sad, angry, irritated, your secret wishes, everything and you used to feel like home with her. I never understood your bond with the doll but somehow it always ended up making you happy. But then you grew up and now you have lost all interest from dolls. Now when life has turned up there will be lots of time when you will be lost and feel low but I want that my Elena should always fight and end up smiling. Elena, that little Elena is still there inside you, somewhere still waiting for you. Let’s go get her. Wish you happy returns of the day. God bless you, keep smiling 🙂 Cya.
As the video ended she started crying and hugging her laptop she said, “Dad you have never let me down you didn’t break your Promise to be on my birthday. I wish I could have hugged you for the last time and I promise to be your little Elena once again.”