A Mathematician's Choice: Family or Numbers?
It may sound trivial, but sometimes even the smallest cracks, have the ability to fracture even the sturdiest of ties. In this post, I'm going to share an intimate story that demonstrates this notion, a story that continues to echo inside my head.
It happened during the scorching summer of 2010, when I was still very much of a teenager. My family and I lived in a small rural town where the time seemed to go by slowly. Though we were small in number, we were a supportive unit- my parents, my senior sibling and I. We were always there for each other, and our love was deeply rooted, just as the mango tree that shaded our front entrance.
One fateful evening, my father received a letter,
and Inside this letter, was a special invitation (for my dad) to a prestigious mathematics competition hosted in the neighboring town. He had also been a brilliant mathematician, and his fervor for digits glowed vivaciously inside him. The letter filled him with excitement, and he could not restrain himself from sharing the information with the rest of his family.
"Hey, you two, over here!" he hollered, shaking the letter in his hand. My brother and I rushed into the lounge, eagerness swirling around. "Check this out," my dad said, grinning. "I've been invited to participate in the area math contest. What a fantastic opportunity it is!"
My brother and I traded looks, reflecting our shared excitement. We had constantly admired our father's intellect and were enthusiastic to observe him demonstrate his abilities on a grand stage. Little did we know that this occasion would be the catalyst for a rift that would test the limits of our familial ties.
The fast approaching event caused my father to delve profoundly into reading, and preparing for the D-day (designated day). For lengthy periods, he pored over formulas and theorems, scarcely raising his eyes from the books in front of him- Only for food would he exit his workspace, his mind still ensnared in an arithmetic maze.
My brother and I watched in horror, as an obsession claimed our father, gradually altering the man we knew.
The man who once played ball with us on the lawn and captivated us with stories of his boyhood had transformed into an unfamiliar figure, swallowed up by the chase for mathematical perfection.
The sun rose and set as his absence began to wear on my mother. Her appeals- begging him to weigh passion and his family alike went unheeded. His eyes saw only the allure of triumph and recognition.
The anticipated day came, and our dad ventured to the lively town. The ambiance buzzed with expectation, an ocean of hopeful mathematicians filled the amphitheater. I observed as my dad assumed his position amidst them, his eyes gleaming with resolve. He appeared heedless to the tension that had descended between the rest of us, and centered only on the numerals that danced in his mind.
The atmosphere grew heavier with anxiety as the contest wore on. My father's figures were faultless, his answers graceful and exact. However, when the evaluators added up the totals, a slight difference in the computation of one task clouded my father's ambitions, causing his position to fall from the peak spots to a middling position.
The sorrow painted on my dad's face was distressing. I discerned the burden of his forfeiture, the levy it had demanded of him and our family. And in that instant, I grasped the true cost of his unwavering quest. The difference in computations had not merely dented his odds of triumph but had driven a partition amid us.
At that instant, with tears dropping down my cheeks, I neared my dad, resting an appendage on his trembling upper limb. "But Dad, this is just a competition," I murmured gently. "We long for your presence. We desire the return of our dad."
The silence continued as my words lingered, suspended in the atmosphere.
Shortly after, my dad's eyes overflowed with tears. In a split second, the gap between us disappeared, and the affection that had been eclipsed by figures and formula came back to the front. My father hugged me firmly, expressing regret for his nonappearance and pledging to reestablish the equilibrium in our lives.
The wounds that had torn us apart gradually knit back together from sunrise to sunset. Our family ties, which had been stretched thin, slowly thickened once more. My dad found pleasure anew in fellowship with our family again. The joyful sounds that had fled our dwelling trickled back in.
Looking back at this, I comprehended it wasn't the competition that constituted the difference; it was the acknowledgment of the significance of affection and bonding. The journey of our family had edified us that the chase of individual aims should never come at the forfeiture of those we embrace preciously.
And so, the difference(mistake) in my dad's calculation, functioned as an axis, and an aid for evolution and comprehension. It transformed into a reminder that in some occasions, the most meaningful or significant difference dwells not in numbers or accomplishments but rather in the relationships we cultivated and the affection we choose to emphasize.
I Imagined the scene as I was reading this....
The environment of the mathematics contest surely was filled with smoke oozing out of the head of the competitors, because I'm sure almost all of them studied like your dad.😄
It's good that your dad returned back to himself and reignited the family love again
😂😂😂😂 it sure was
Yeah I'm glad he did.
Thanks For Reading.
Welcome boss🙌
Yay! 🤗
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This is a wonderful story of the struggles families face at times. Here we find lovely creative elements, which describe the untamed passions of your father stunningly. We are gladdened to hear that in your interaction with him, he was able to see the error in this, thus making your bond stronger overall. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and for your engagement with other members of the community.
Thanks 🙂
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Certainly the passions tend to overshadow our environment, neglecting the most important thing, the life of every human being. A miscalculation brought your father back from the shadows.
Thanks for sharing.
Good day.
Congratulations, @timix648!
This great story was chosen as one of this week's best stories. Thanks for writing it. It is part of the Featured Authors Magazine number 112
https://peakd.com/hive-170798/@theinkwell/the-ink-well-highlights-magazine-112
Yay!☺️
Thanks so much I really do appreciate!
It is very good that you have broken the communication and understanding gap that had arisen between you. How awful that you couldn't understand each other, but that you made it when you decided to take the plunge. These stories seem to me to be the perfect pretext to let off steam and capture a story worthy of being told. Best regards.
Thanks for reading ☺️❤️
Wow, this is such an interesting read.
I'm glad your father rekindled the family love back again.
Thanks for sharing this. Came in from #dreemport
You have a very interesting way of passing your message across and I'm very impressed with the message embedded in this story. Wow! That's a really creative way to highlight the importance of maintaining a balance between work and life.
We see this in so many relationship between parents and their child. When the busyness of life gets so much, it makes it really hard for some parents to maintain the emotional side of parent-child relationship.
I'm glad this story has a happy ending to it. Well Done. #dreemerforlife
I wonder if you are on Twitter... Can you send the URL of your Twitter profile? We (DreemPort) need it for a list we are compiling for all Dreemers.
Thank you!☺️
Yeah I totally agree
Ohh ok...I'm not really active there though
https://twitter.com/code09__?t=w1v5N75iB-1Xn8BoXVTzNQ&s=09
Well Done, Bro.
The Twitter details will be documented
Ok thanks.
Our quest and desire for recognition can overshadow our true intention sometimes, this is one the reason why we see men with great achievement but without a happy family. They have traded the comfort of their family for their dreams
Well, for your dad, your words must have made him snapped back into reality and realise the value of what he truly has regardless of the competition that was lost.
Pop in from #dreemport
Yep I do believe sometimes, our pursuit of external recognition can lead us to overlook the importance of our personal relationships and the happiness they bring to our loved ones, and it really is quite sad.
Thanks for reading.
The balance is meant to be kept indeed as to one aspect of our life suffers greatly should there be imbalance and those are two great aspects of life.
Loved the way you presented the story, was really a captivating one
Thanks for sharing
#dreemerforlife
Yeah👍
I'm glad you loved it thanks for reading
You're welcome
Your story is amazing. All thanks to your father for reuniting the family and making the bound to be stronger.
#dreemerforlife
Thanks for reading