The way of life

The way of life

An old man sat on his chair in one of the cosy bedrooms in the city of London. The old man looked out of the window and saw snow falling on the streets. A drop of tear dropped from his eyes. He recollected his old days and what he had to go through to make a name for himself in this huge city that can make you feel lost. 

Flash back 1997 : 

It was a cold windy night. A man stood just below the lamp post staring at the snowflakes falling from the sky. The city of London was getting colder and colder with each passing second. Raghu stood there silently rubbing his hands in his pockets of the only coat that he had. He had no home. He was jobless since the last 2 months since his last employer fired him for spilling the soup on a customer. 

Raghu had come to London just like the other kids who migrated from India in the hope that they would study in the prestigious London School of Economics and graduate to live a rich life henceforth. But little did he realise then that the agency who promised his admission in the college was fraud. He was brought to London and it was then that he realised he had been cheated. Raghu couldn't tell this back home. His parents were old. He came from a middle class background. He was the only son and his parents had worked day and night to secure a future for their son. They would be devastated to know this. Also, his father was a heart patient. He couldn't take the risk. 

He sat on the bench with tears in his eyes. Ever since he had gotten fired, he had no money to pay rent and had to vacate the house. He now lives in the makeshift tents which obviously give no protection from cold. He kept thinking to himself why was it that he wasn't getting a job? Should he try going to that restaurant again? Maybe the owner appoints him again, who knows! He was still hopeful. Even with the drops of tears falling from his eyes, he hadn't lost hope. He knew that he had to fight this. He had to remain calm. He had to keep himself stable at least for the sake of his parents.

His visa was now nearly getting expired soon. He didn't have a penny in his pocket. Neither did his parents know about anything that had happened after he reached London. He always gave them a rosy picture that was far away from reality. He gave them false hope of being accepted in the college in the fear of not losing them. It was 1999 and Indians had barely started using phones. Mobiles had arrived in 1995 but only rich people could afford it. The middle class people still communicated in letters. 

June 21 1997

Raghu landed at the London City airport (LCA)  on the Hartmann Road. It was a beautiful morning. He came to London all alone. He was going  to study at the London School of Economics & Political science for the next 3 years. He was all excited about the new life that was about to begin. He knew no one in the city but hoped to make friends soon. As he walked into the college administration, he enquired about his admission. He was told that no such admission had been made in the name of Raghu Subramanian. His heart sank. He asked them to verify again. They checked and told him the same again and asked him to move as others were waiting. He couldn't move his feet. His heart became heavy. He didn't know how and what to do and how to react. 

He went to a nearby restaurant and ordered for a cup of coffee and a club sandwich. Nothing was going down his throat. He couldn't understand what had just happened. The agency that was looking after his admission had been fooling him for the last 3 months stating a confirmed admission. He paid the bill and as soon as he got up, he was knocked down by a skater on the road. As he got up dusting his pants he realised the skater had stolen his bag! His money, his passport and all other documents were in the same bag. He was left blank. He stood there not understanding what to do. He ran through the streets looking for the guy with his bag but no use. 

Exhausted , he sat on a bench. An elderly man in his fifties came and sat beside him. Asked him what had happened. He was an Indian too. After carefully listening to his story, he offered him a job as a waiter in his restaurant that was a few blocks away. Raghu accepted the offer. He was getting paid and also the man offered to assist him with his passport and other documents. It was after he started working there that he realised that the situation was worse than what he was expecting. He had lost his documents which meant he could be in deep trouble if police came to know about his stay. 

After toiling hard day and night, Raghu made some money. He could afford to rent a house. He decided to not go back to India. He decided to stay here and work hard. He was ready to take up any job. 

Dec 14 1997 

He was sitting on the bench, jobless and homeless. He was trying but couldn't get any. He decided to go back to his previous employer. He was a good man. He made Raghu promise that if he does continue repeating mistakes, he would have to be fired and he will not be taken back again.

Jan 8 1999 

Raghu went steady in the job. Life was slightly better. He had savings now. He had told his parents the truth when he visited home during Diwali the previous year. They cried hearing it but Raghu asked them not to worry. He was a determined young man. 

4 August 2000 

The person who employed Raghu passed away. The restaurant was sold off to some other person by the family and the new owner wanted new staff. So, he asked the old staff to leave. Raghu was again jobless. This time instead of looking for a job, he decided to start a business. He started going to banks for a loan. But nobody could trust a person who had no experience with hell lot of money. Finally he decided to give up the idea of restaurant and bought a food truck. This was the first time he had ever felt so happy. 

11 September 2000 

Food truck had started to serve. Everyday he started taking the food truck to different places to get an idea which place would be better. During this period, he came across the love of his life Tara. She was a lovely girl with a pretty smile and had a positive attitude towards life. She supported Raghu wholeheartedly even when the business was not taking over. 

22 may 2003 

The business had started to become steady and earn good profit. Raghu and Tara got married to each other. Life was going great and they soon gave birth to their daughter Angel. Angel was one happy kid. Things seemed to finally fall in place for Raghu. 

But little did he know what was to come. 

24 October 2003 

Tara was diagnosed with cancer and had already reached the 5th stage. She wouldn't live for a long time. Everyday became a nightmare. She wasn't responding to treatment and in a couple of months, she lost the battle of life to cancer. This was a shock that truly hit hard on Raghu. He loved her so much. He decided to not lose himself and made sure he was a good father to Angel. 

Today after 25 years, he stood in his room staring at the sky from the window remembering Tara. Angel had married a good man and now had a son Liam. Raghu recalled each and every moment of his life. It hadn't been easy but he had made it up. His resilience and never give up attitude had made him today a respected member of the society. His perseverance was remarkable. He thanked God and his parents everyday of his life for being his biggest strength in all times. He was forever grateful to his first employer and Tara who stood by him and believed him no matter what. He thought to himself - 

Not everyone's life is gonna be a fairytale. But if we work hard, we can use our magic wand to turn our life into one…