16th June, 2015.
Jet Planes.
“Kid! There are two bogeys on your six! Lose them mate!”
“I’ve a better plan sir! But it’s a risky one! I might not
come back!”
“Dammit son! We’re gonna have that drink tonight! Don’t do
anything stupid!”
“Sir, trust me!”
The fighters were speeding at their maximum speed, the
g-force was beyond normal, but he knew what he was doing. He has been doing it
for a time now, although his ways were dangerous. The jet suddenly dropped its
altitude like it had a cardiac arrest in the mid sky. The others which were
dogging him didn’t saw that coming and were late in their reflex. He gained the
upper-hand he was looking for. “Well, get this you sonofabitch!” he laughed and
pushed the button that released a shower of bullets on the two planes…
“BOOYAAH”
“Great job son! But it isn’t over yet… there’s one more!”
“Roger that sir, I am on it. We might make it for the…I AM
HIT! I REPEAT I AM HIT!”
The jet started falling, a dark tail of smoke rose and was spiraling
to the sky. He always knew this would happen one day, but wasn’t expecting it
today. “Not today dammit, I am not dying today!” he said to himself… the jet
was losing its altitude fast and there was a very little time window to…
“Joel, come inside! There is someone to meet you son!”
“But Maa! My plane is falling, see?” Joel showed her the
paper plane in his hand. “I have been hit, and I am falling behind the enemy
lines, and I need to send a distress signal to my headquarters!”
She laughed. “Well, you can send it from the living room
too, and there is someone to meet you, I think he can help!”
“Allllllllright!” said little Joel Francis Swaminathan and in
two leaps he was inside the room from the backyard, only to meet his father’s
friend Commander Raghav Dutt of the Indian Air Force. He had known Dutt for a
time, and they were like father and son too. Dutt was Joel’s godfather made on
his baptism, and although it might not is in the norms to make someone who’s
not a Christian a godfather to someone, he had proven himself more than that.
“Hey bud!” said Dutt as he picked him Joel to hug him in a
fatherly manner. “What was that ruckus out there?”
“I was flying my jet, and I was hit, I am about to send the
signal for help to my headquarters!” Said Joel in utter seriousness. “Can you
help? Mummy says you can!”
“Yeah sure! But first, there is something!” Dutt said, Joel didn’t
noticed the saddened smile on his godfather’s face, as he didn’t noticed his
mother’s tear stained eyes, and even if he did, he was too young. Joel looked
up at him as Dutt took the paper plane from his hand.
“When is daddy coming uncle?” Joel asked.
“Yes, um…” Dutt cleared his throat, and was looking for
words to start. “Your daddy, uhh, he… he went on a special mission, you see
son? The best fighter pilots are sent on the most important missions, and umm…”
Dutt was stammering. How can he tell him? He couldn’t tell Rebecca about
Francis’s crash straightly, and he never wanted to. He didn’t have the strength
to face her with this news, the hardest news of all. And Rebecca too didn’t expect
this. Nobody expects death even they know it is happening everyday all over the
world. Everybody dies, and yet nobody wants to believe. Rebecca too didn’t believe
it.
“When will he be back?” Joel asked, “He said he will build
me a toy plane!” he didn’t understand then why mummy ran to the other room
clasping her face. It was years later.
“Uhh…” Dutt tried to refrain from answering, “Joel, son, you
know your father loves you, right? You are his best friend, not me! So, he
asked me to take care of his best pal! Your dad’s a hero! Okay? He’s a hero!” Dutt
said as tears rolled down his face. Dutt and Francis weren’t just friends, they
were brothers in arms, and never had this thought occurred to any of them that
something like this could happen. Dutt will never forget the last transmission
Francis sent before crashing the jet to save thousands of lives.
“Before leaving, he
left you this.” Pulling a fighter’s helmet out of the black trunk with the
personal belongings of his friend, he put it on Joel’s head. “He asked you to
keep this safe, right? It is his lucky helmet and now it’s yours, you keep it
safe okay? You are so brave, bud! Just like your daddy!” Dutt left Joel with
the helmet on his head, searching for Rebecca; there are certain matters to
discuss.
Joel tightened the straps of his helmet, an old but shiny
helmet with a falcon on the back of it and two thunderbolts on the both sides,
meeting on the front. Checked the control panel for one final time, everything
was good to go. The guy with the flags on the runway gave the final signal for
the launch.
“You good kid?” the voice in the microphone asked.
“Ready to rock and roll sir!” said Joel F. Swaminathan,
flight lieutenant.
“We will drink tonight son! Whisky on the rocks” said the
wing commander.
“Roger that Sir!” replied Joel. “Sir, if I may ask for a favor?”
“Yes?”
“Can you play Leaving on jet plane by Denver?”
“Sure J!” it had became his anthem, or his “flight song”.
The runway was clear, the sky was bluer than before with the
sun bright as ever. Lip syncing with Denver, Joel pushed the throttle, the
engines roared.
He left on a jet plane, knowing he’ll be back again!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX END XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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