Sometimes it seemed to him that life is an attempt to suppress tears. Like Charlie Chaplin, he too loved walking in the rain, because nobody can see that he was crying. It rained heavily in this part of the world. He was lonely, cold, and bitterly sad in a land away from home. He was surrounded by strangers everywhere - on the streets, in office and in the hotel where he stayed. He missed his family very much. He remained worried about his parents and wife. Whenever he called them up, tears tried to choke his voice. But he tried to remain cheerful; because, otherwise, his family would be unduly worried about him. He was very family oriented, and had been married for just about a year. This was the first time he was away from home.
It is difficult for a person like him who has stayed in only one city all his lifetime. The first time that he is staying away from home, is in a different country altogether. Unknown faces, strange food dishes, unfriendly climate – he almost hated everything. His office needed him to travel to and work out of this foreign client location for about one year. It was critical for his career. But even then, he was ready to make a sacrifice and say no to the offer. However, his family needed the money. They were staying in rented accommodation. They needed a home of their own. Onsite opportunity meant earning a bulk amount. So, he agreed to travel. His wife sacrificed and stayed back to look after his and her ailing parents. The two of them were heartbroken to be separated. But they accepted that they need to make this compromise, in order to secure their future. Maybe, she can travel for a month or so and join him later.
Now, he wakes up every day, calls home, and tries to cook breakfast. Rarely, he orders food from the hotel. Then he gets ready for office and leaves. He takes a bus to his office. It’s cold in the streets, so he hurriedly gets into the building. He reaches his seat, connects his laptop, and gets a cup of coffee. Work is mundane, as he expected it to be. He has not yet made any friends among his colleagues; not that he is much interested in that. Even during the lunch, he mostly keeps to himself. He occasionally has a meeting with his point of contact from the client side. He provides the updates of his project in these meetings. He leaves office on time and catches the bus back to hotel. Some days, he roams around in the lobby or garden. On other days, he goes back straight to his room. He has some snacks and coffee, goes to the laundry occasionally. Then he tries to cook. He is a very bad cook, but somehow manages to make something edible. Some days he feels lazy and orders food. But it is very expensive, so he tries to cook himself. He has to save money, a lot of money. He needs to send some money back home, and needs to return with some money as well.
He then calls up his family in India and speaks. This is a pleasant call as he is relaxed after the day’s work. Sometimes his mood improves after the call. Sometimes he feels even sadder after hearing their voice. He cries, looks out of his window, goes to the washroom and washes his face. He has early dinner, then surfs the internet on his laptop for some time. Then he goes to sleep with the dream that he will return to India soon. He will return with enough money to build a home for his family. He will face the hardships of today to secure his family’s future.
