A Fresh Start

Ashok wore his favourite red checker-ed shirt with a black trouser and combed his trimmed pepper hair. His 57 year old wife, Meeta observed him gazing at his reflection in the mirror and admiring himself. She whistled loudly, taking Ashok by surprise and shock at the same time.

“For God’s sake!!!! Meeta!!! At this rate, you will surely give me a heart attack one day. You know, we are not getting any younger and your mind seems to be growing in the opposite direction.”

Meeta chuckled, irritating her husband even more. “ Well, it isn’t my fault that you’re still as handsome as you were the day we got married. It seems like; yesterday we got married and now, our kids are all grown up and now, you’re retiring. Everything just happened so fast.”

Ashok smiled and kissed his wife’s forehead. “ I know. Our responsibilities are now over. From tomorrow on wards, I am all yours.”

Since the last two months, he had been training the lad who was to be his replacement in the organisation. His energy was infectious even at the age of 60. He looked like a 60 year old but behaved like a 30 year old. Officially, it was his last working day today and he couldn’t help but feel nervous and nostalgic about the whole situation at hand. He had always been friendly and polite with the young as well as the old and never meddled in others’ personal space. He was successful in maintaining cordial relations with all of his colleagues for the last 40 years and was never involved in any fights or arguments that happened at the workplace. Ashok couldn’t help but recollect the time when he joined the organisation as a young man straight out of college and how he had grown as a person in the last few years.

He was well aware of the fact that from tomorrow on wards his life was going to take a drastic turn and he was looking forward to it. The day had gone by quickly than he had imagined and before he realized, it was time for his farewell party. Ashok chatted with all his colleagues, young and old while having dinner and they even cut a cake together. He was awarded a shield for his immense contribution to the organisation and a gift as a token of appreciation. After all the celebration, Ashok’s boss asked him to say a few words before they all bid their final farewells.

He tried his best to control his emotions as this was the moment he was dreading for. He had too much to say but he didn’t know how to say it. He cleared his throat and allowed his words to flow before his emotions could take over.

“There are no words to describe how thankful I am to God for giving me this day. Today has been fantastic and so far the best day of my life. After my marriage and the birth of my kids, of course.” The whole crowd burst into laughter. “ Never ending month-ends, team huddles, meetings, annual parties, celebrating different festivals at work, wearing traditional outfits and clicking pictures, and not to forget; our annual picnics. I’ve been there, seen and enjoyed all the drama and the after effects of it with you all as a family. I’ve spent the maximum hours and minutes of my life with my extended family, that is you; rather than my own family back at home.”

Ashok paused for a minute and continued. “ I don’t have any regrets though. The journey has been amazing from the start to the finish. When I joined the organisation, I was a young naive immature boy. I made many friends; young and old and made sure that I kept on learning in the process. I learnt different lessons from other’s mistakes as well as my own. I adopted all the good and wiped out all the bad. While I am in touch with some of my old friends, some have just faded away. Some left for better career prospects while some left for their heavenly abode. While the old faces kept disappearing, new faces joined in simultaneously. I consider myself lucky that God has let me live to experience my retirement.”

“This company is just two years older than me. It has made me a man. I have grown up with it and grown old with it. Marriage and kids happened in the process. While I have been a huge part of the company’s profits, I have also been responsible for some of the losses. Ups and downs keep happening. All of us have been together and experienced it all, as a team. While you guys are still walking on the road to accomplishing your dreams and ambitions, the time has come for me to end my journey right here, right now. Every ending leads to a new beginning. I will no longer be here from tomorrow to annoy you, teach you or laugh with you. My time is over. Now, it is your time to shine.”

Ashok paused again for a minute and a smile crept on his face.“ My wife, Meeta, has always complained all her life that I don’t give her enough time. That’s going to change now and I bet she’s going to get bored of my constant nagging. A mini-vacation is on the cards but nothing has been finalized yet.” He stopped for a minute as tears welled up in his eyes.

Even though Ashok became emotional, his audience cheered and clapped for him. Their smiling faces made him speak up again.

“ I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll surely miss you. Every nook and corner of this place, each and every one of you hold a special place in my heart. May God bless all of you and may he keep the beautiful smile on your faces intact. Thanks a ton for the amazing party, the amazing shield as well as the amazing farewell. Forgive me if I have offended you by any chance. Please remember me for my positives and not negatives. Keep me in your prayers!”

With a beaming face and a positive attitude, Ashok bid his farewell to his co-workers, his office and his corporate life. Life had a lot in store for him tomorrow on wards. His second innings was about to begin!