Movie Magic

Courtesy: Google search

As we glided along with many others in the escalator, towards the movie theater in the 3^rd floor of the mall, uneasiness was what I exactly felt, I hate those “Moving stairs” hate or afraid I am not sure, but I am sure that, he knows. I had tailed along near the elevator (lift) thinking that he would understand, but he was too busy to notice and walked on. 

Carefully I stepped into the moving thing but not so careful to attract attention, I looked and he had already moved up few steps, why does he walk when it does the work? We were nearing the theatre and memories flooded in me, our first visit to theatre, his excitement, his enjoyment, which I can visualize in front of me like in a HD TV. But he was restless and cursing under his breath, avoiding every eyes that studied us. While I was proud to walk along with him, he didn’t relish my company, like he used to do in the yesteryears. 

My mind started weaving stories and hypothesis, and my heart sank every minute, does he think that I am dependent on him? Does he want to send me somewhere? I never cried in all these years of life, but now, I battled hard not to convert those dark clouds into rain in my eyes. With a sigh, that didn’t escape his notice I switched my thoughts to the life around me, people waiting to get into the theatre to watch the family entertainer, gone are the days when such movies were watched with the whole family, all I can find now are a group of youngsters trying to kill time or some young pairs waiting to sneak in and enjoy their romance rather than the one on screen.

There were some families, minus the kids, the high earning upper middle class IT husbands, in their mid-thirties, but looking like forty five, and their beloved wife’s, trying to fit in, by sprinkling fashion around them in an improper manner trying to conceal their pot belly’s under the T-shirt, and constantly checking the dress with uneasiness, why this artificiality? Why not wear what we like and what makes us comfortable? 

The doors opened and people started moving faster, like they were going to lose their valuable seats, or the first glimpse of the film, he was walking faster too, I tried to catch up and sat breathlessly next to him. But as the light went off, I bothered very little about him, I was drawn into the movie, it showed the bonding of the family with no extra dose of show-off and drama, just a simple family movie that everyone can relate to, by the end there was an unsayable pain in me. I walked off slowly towards the damn escalator, when he slowly guided me towards the stairs, so he remembers, we don’t really forget things, we just ignore them.

We walked slowly and silently towards the car, he was walking beside me and inside the car he asked not looking directly at me, “Dad, do you still love me? After all the in indiff indifference I am showing?” I nodded affirmative. He added “Its just work and family and kids you know.. “ I nodded again and we drove off in silence.

The movie had done its magic, but magic never lasts..