Bits of life

A-10 Words-1075

John’s turn to blush and hide expression. You have just celebrated your forty fifth birthday. No one can deny the fact that you are an eligible bachelor,” mom continued undaunted.

“Look sis, don’t give me any ideas of getting married now and get myself entangled in unwanted tussles with the wife and buy troubles with kids and other family matters,” concluded my uncle as he prepared to leave for his country home.

I envied his freedom, freedom to think and do whatever that suits him. I agree that marriage brought many issues in its wake. You have to give up some and gain some. That’s the law that rules any marriage. I knew of these things and could imagine different situations when there might arise a difference of opinion between the married couples. That, however, never stopped people from getting married. They are obviously prepared to rise above these petty things and find ultimate joy in married life. People prefer matrimonial joy despite the inevitable breaches between wife and husband from time to time. Many prefer company to being alone and single. Solitude is ok for a while but not suitable as a person advances in age. He longs for company more so in the form of a partner for life with whom he or she can share sad and happy experiences. Children follow naturally. They complete life. It comes full circle now. People argue that they shun married life because it brings responsibilities along with other things. Responsibilities do not come with marriage only. They are part and parcel of life. Even if you remained single you still have to shoulder certain duties. Whether we take notice or not society has certain expectation of each and everyone. It rejoices when we fulfill them and regrets when we do not. It checks our faults and cheers our accomplishments. Society expects us to take on responsibilities because we are part of it. It is not possible to live a life of mendicant if you want to be a part of society.
Love is an important part of marriage. It provides a sound basis to build a successful married life. Thankfully, I have this blessing.
These and many more agreeable musings filled my time on that night as I tried to sleep.

Next morning before I left for my office, mom and I had a talk regarding uncle John’s suggestion for her to visit him with Cathy if possible.
“I think I am ready to go home Jim. It has been quite a long time since I have last visited my home town and home. I don’t think it is good keep grudges if any, for so long. Sarah still complains about the way Rod and Jer have reacted to my father’s will. But I long forgot about it. I pity them because they are not happy as they should be because of their children. I will take Sarah and Jonathan too if we are going,” said my mom.
I am proud of my mom because she never complained nor did she felt depressed when she had to weather rudeness and rough times.
I rang Ashley about our trip to the village where I had spent our holidays during my childhood years, and invited her over. She asked if she could bring along a close friend of hers. I told her to wait till evening to know the answer. After all uncle John has to be ready for the guests if they outnumbered his expectations. So I informed him of the latest development in our plans to join him in his house for the grape harvesting. He was more than happy. He said,
“Dear Jim, I should say I am grateful for your making this house, which was once a home a reason to return to times of joy and celebration. I am glad that your mother didn’t nurse any grudge against my brothers for being such greedy fools. She knows that it was only human to act the way they acted under those circumstances. Now that they too passed through some trying experiences in life, they understand that peace and tranquility of the mind are more important than material pleasures or gains. Please do not hesitate in bringing anyone you want. Everybody is welcome from the depth of my heart.”
I thanked him for his generosity and broadminded nature and rang off. I started making arrangements for the journey and stay at my grandfather’s town Elizabeth, a town in North Carolina. Its population stands around eighteen thousand as of now. It’s a quiet town with few hassles. Shipping is its main business. Most of the folks at Elizabeth found work in sea related departments. Its Shipyard is one of the major sources of employment over here. Some of the businesses such as small craft and dredging, fishing and aqua culture are owned by private companies while a majority of them belong to the government. Very few people adapt to farming in Elizabeth. There are a number of geographical and environmental reasons why people do not prefer farming in this coastal town. Its climate is moderate suitable only for crops like tobacco and potatoes. Grandpa made waves when he experimented with rice and maize in special conditions. His farms made national news with unheard of cultivation such as fruit and vineyards. His fertilizers were not made of chemicals. They were made with natural ingredients. Although I am not aware of the particulars I have newspaper cuttings in which grandpa’s work got mention more than once. “Emerald Farm” stands high in the list of best farms of the country.

I feel happy and proud to take Ashley and her friend whose name I heard is Elvira Hudson to my favorite place to rest, relax and have a lot of fun. I rang Cathy to be ready by ten in the morning on Saturday next. All of them replied in the positive and sounded excited.
I took permission from my boss to take a week off. Now that there wasn’t much work with summer break approaching I was let off without fuss. I knew I didn’t cause inconvenience to the administration of the company. Mr. Wilson Moore regretted he could not join us in the holiday and hoped he might make next time when there might be a gathering again. I agreed with him and proceeded to go home. Mom and Jonathan were busy packing their suitcases and backpacks.