A Memory: When He Was Caught Red-Handed

A Memory: When He Was Caught Red-Handed

It’s childhood story. My father was a government employee.  That time he was posted in a remote area of the Odisha for an irrigation Project. We had a big quarter to stay which was surrounded by a full-size landscape grown with trees of various fruits like mango, guava, custard apple, lemon, amla, banana etc.

I always loved guavas (Now as well). Often it was irresistible for me to see the trees loaded with brightly looking guavas.  My eyes would always stick to the lovely looking guavas in the tip of the branches of the guava tree which was very tall for me as a kid then. But I must say I always wanted them. Sometime I used to ask my brother (who was few years elder to me) to get them for me without realizing the risks involved in it.

My father was dead against “climbing the tree” for both boys and girls at home. That was a diktat at home that “Nobody was allowed to climb any tree”. It was no less than a catastrophe to face “father who would go Red with anger” if any one dares to climb the tree.  But my brother would often take such misadventure for me and climb the tree to pluck guavas. We were smart enough to wait for father to get out of the house. Once he was out, we would rush to the backyard, choose a tree after decided on particular guavas, and then he would climb it, sometime to the tip of branches to pluck them. I didn’t know that climbing tree risks a fall as well. But he never mined risking a fall also. Many times he was hurt while climbing and sometime he had fallen and got wounded. After all He himself was also a Kid and not a skilled climber then. But nothing stopped him to get those “particular guavas (I used to ask for) for his kid sister. It was always an unrelenting instance in our childhood life.

One day he was “Caught red-handed”. He was plucking the guavas and dropping them  while I was standing on the ground collecting them. Father had returned from the office mid-way as he wasn’t feeling well.

Now, any one can imagine the scene.  Father was looking like a monster that time to me. My poor Brother!!He was spanked mercilessly. I had tears even if I was spared of by father (Younger kids often seldom punished…Right!! Indian Parenting). I thought I would never eat guavas again

Next day, same time, the previous day’s horrible experience was still fresh in my mind. But my brother came hiding his hands in his back.

I don’t want them…I said!

Ohh!! Really!! He then got his hands from his back. I saw guavas in his hands. My eyes glow as they were irresistible!

He had done misadventure again, climbed the tree and had plucked the guavas.

And It didn’t happen once, it happened so many times…

This Post is for Day 4 of the 7 day blogging challenge BAR-A-THON.
Today's Prompt is "Caught red-handed"