THEDIVINESMILE PriyankaSengupta

The door was half closed from outside Dim light filled the room An elderly man was lying down on the bed His face rested sideways on the pillow and his hands were moving, as if, through the gestures he was trying to communicate something Pamela entered the room Although, a woman in her early 30's, she was far more naïve and unworldly than her contemporaries She gently sat beside him and took his hand onto hers. He looked at her with shining eyes. She smiled, he too. Both of them smiled at each other….

The alarm rang louder. Pamela opened her eyes. As she was trying to snooze off the alarm and get back to her dreams, she saw her father standing and smiling at her. She rubbed her eyes and saw a box in his hand. It was actually her birthday. Being the only child, she was the apple of her parents’ eyes and as far as father is concerned, she’s, his lifeline! Pamela sprang off hurriedly and clung to her father’s Her father patted her hair and gifted her the box It was her tenth birthday Opening the box, she found her favorite doll As she was about to hug her father for the lovely gift, her mother came She told her “I have sorted this gift for you, now hug me please". The three of them burst into laughter. Then a little, innocent Pamela asked her father, “Where’s my special gift?”. Now, although she gets a lot of gifts from her mother, grandparents on her birthdays and on other occasions, getting gifts from her father nonetheless always render a special feeling to her. Her father smiled and told her, “I have lots of blessings for you"….

Time flies away. Little Pamela is 18 years old now. One day while she was returning from school, she saw some men outside her house They were speaking with her father in a very harsh and aggressive tone A curious Pamela ran inside the house to her mother She saw fear in the latter’s eyes Pestering her repeatedly, she came to know the truth Her father had incurred severe losses in his business He was very famous for his honesty and philanthropic work. However, taking advantage of his simplicity and gentle nature, some people cheated him of his hard-earned money.

To tackle the situation and to make his daughter's education run on, he had credited a significant amount from the lenders and now adding to the woes, he was in a complete insolvent state. What surprised her more is that, this financial crunch had slowly taken grip since few years back only, but her father and parents had kept her in complete oblivion so that her studies shouldn’t get affected and not a single birthday of her had gone missed from celebration and father’s special gift! She immediately ran to her father, who was standing alone now Those men had gone, keeping him panicked Seeing her teary eyes, he smiled, “Grow up and shine in life", were his loving words

The smell of the spirit, the bawling siren of ambulance, the hustle and bustle of queue in front of the large corridors and a woman sitting silently in one corner amidst the chaos – that was all about that morning in the hospital. The woman was lost in her thoughts, thoughts that transported her back to the years There had been days when she was acutely ill Her father used to sit beside her for long until and unless she is asleep

He had kept all his meagre savings only for his beloved daughter. And how he smiled that day, when the doctor told she was completely cured Days passed and the conformist society wanted Pamela should bow down to the rigid, traditional norms of a woman, that of managing the household only. Her father fought back for her. He wouldn’t let down his brilliant daughter turning into a dominated housewife. It was actually the demand from her fiancé. Those were the toughest phase of her life She managed to waive off only with the thorough support of her parents and her father who stood like a wall, protecting his adorable Pamela from the harsh, brutal rigidities. Her father was very proud of her brilliant academic career and used to show her results, certificates and medals to each and everybody coming in their sweet home “My daughter is a genius", he said with his usual calming smile

Pamela’s reminiscence recoiled her senses in that dim light filled room, when she rested her father's hands and patted him. It was her another birthday, her first birthday in which her mother is no more, a birthday when her father’s memories are gradually fading away But as he got to know it was his daughter’s birthday, he still smiled and blessed her Pamela told, “Your smile is the best gift on this earth"…

The call of the doctor brought her back to reality . She entered the ICU quietly and saw a lean father His eyes were closed She called him He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at his daughter only It was two weeks since her last birthday and his last divine smile on this earth….