Painting Joy

This is about Joy Rafael, the friendly neighborhood painter.
I remember meeting this jolly old chap probably 16 years back..when we first moved to our new house..
With the work in progress, me and my brother used to visit the house along with our parents occasionally. During those visits, Joy always amused and entertained us by showing little magic tricks and talked things about buildings and how painting is the most interesting job in the world ;)

Even after we moved to the new house, some final works were left on the upper floor and hence Joy and his 'merrymen' painters used to hang around.Now, as both my parents are working, me and my brother used to be alone after returning from school in the evening. There was no cable tv at our home back then, and we used to play around the building with the various interesting stuff lying around (thanks to all the construction)...and Joy used to hang around us..keeping an eye on us( his version of it). Anyway we used to play with him as well as fight. This went on for about a couple of years.

In a couple of years,we had grown up and didn't find him interesting enough and we suspected that he was shirking work in our name..but still maintained friendly relation with him. He was a funny character. Due to our lack of time, he had the added responsibility of purchasing materials for painting( ie. occasional maintenance works). Over the years, we saw less of him, as he grew older and we got busier.

On 30th of March,I was woken up from deep slumber by my mother, with a shocking news.Joy had taken a fall from the terrace that morning and passed away immediately. I couldn't believe that the funny crooked guy simply ceased to exist, one fine morning. It took some time for me to come to senses and grip the reality. Later, on receiving an invitation for his funeral,containing his photo, I realised that he really won't be coming next time asking whether its time for a new coat of paint.
Joy, the painter of joy thus passed away, leaving a family consisting of two children, about whom he used to talk a lot. May God bless all...