It talks about the changing relationship between a father and daughter who never listen to elder's advises.
WISHES FOR WARMTH
The unpleasant odor of medicine dashes around the southern ‘C’ block of an old age home that locates at the valley, between two Needle Rocky Mountains which proudly raise its head as twins. The fragrance of the spring drenches the valley and make the eyes wonder with its colorfulness. More than that the spring forces all inmates in old age home to wrap up in sweaters. It is an evergreen season to make freshness for all minds in the care home. Even though it is spring, it may not be able to wipe out the toxic smell of medicine that blows as a turmoil in room C4.
The mumbling of Joseph from room C4 increases its quality during each ascending seconds. That grouch old man lays on the bed and trying to grab the call bell, lying on the floor. As the result of his successful attempt, an angel in white cloak appears there to satisfy his needs. The celestial light blazes around her head blinks his eyes. With his wrinkled hands, he rubs both of his eyes spontaneously to reduce the impact of sudden impulse. Whenever he crosses the boundary of unconsciousness and reaches the path of consciousness, he regains the sense of surrounding that the nurse who is standing in front of him with helping hand and the electric bulb on the wall scatter its light over her head.
“Hi, I am your nurse for today. How was your sleep last night?” she inquired in a mild voice sparkling with a cute smile.
“where is Merlin?
I need to see her today itself before my bell knells” he shrieked like a python spitting its venom.
“She will arrive soon” the nurse replied.
“Call her, she is there... Don’t lie! You bitch…. Go away in front of me” he yelled fiercely by gathering all his strength.
“How come a daughter wish to see a dangerous man like you?” she closed the door vigorously and walked quickly out.
Joseph wipes his yellow tears that rolls on his wrinkled cheeks. The overflow of emotions makes his cheeks as well as the pillow to be wet and even the pillow acts a role of a spongy surface. The painful memories of his daughter has been haunting him since last 25 years. Hopefully, he has been waiting for her presence, but now it takes a long period and weaken his body to attain last breath. His mind walks through the golden days and tumbled on his scattered dreams.
His golden days of life had gone prosperously together with his wife, even a tiny creature in the earth wished to be like them, tied in such a soulmate bond. Many of the couple followed a same relationship as Joseph and his wife, Josna did, but couldn’t even attain a successful one as them. His life crashed like an overripe tomato trapped in the fist of a baby, whenever he heard the news of Josna’s death after delivering the girl baby. He was dizzy suddenly for hours as if a giant tree had fallen from its root. The smiles and soft kicks of his child eventually helped him to regain his consciousness and brought him back to his normal life.
Powerful gift of God – ‘forgetfulness’ supported him to survive the situation under the warmth of his daughter’s love. Especially in Indian culture, women play the major role in the family but men handle the supreme authorities. She performs all duties in the home and men can only know how to dominate her. Joseph lost his soul (Josna), furthermore, he didn’t even know how to cook food or look after his baby. Eventually, he built up an incredible relationship with Merlin and had taken the responsibility of a dad as well as her mom. The parent-child bond had grown as an endless sky, whether she passed through her childhood and adolescent days in India. Later on, the stars had fallen from the endless sky while she came to Canada in mid of her adulthood days. She couldn’t have the patience to tolerate with dad and his behavior even some silly things such as burnt chapattis, overcooked meals, controlling behavior etc. Everyday trifle things could be a big reason for fight, even though a tragic separable moment take a part between them.
Merlin’s life deviated to another dimension when she became the executive IT manager of a reputed firm in Vancouver. Her freedom increased day by day and had done whatever she wanted such as night clubs, pubs, dating, drinks and even using drugs. As far as a conservative father was considered it against his culture and obstruct his daughter’s wrong path with heart piercing pain, even though she won’t be able to understand a dad’s mind.
One night he noticed the darkness spread all over her room and turn on the light for brightness. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he caught her glimpse of injecting nicotine through her veins. ‘What are you doing there?’ he screamed frantically as though a quick flow of blood passes through his veins due to anger and sensitivity to his legacy. He slapped her first time in life because her action was against the norms of his culture. She stared at him with her reddish eye, flamed as an ember that splashes fire as a spiting dragon. ‘Who are you to raise your hand upon me’ she shouted and grab her belongings to leave the home. He tried to stop her by apologizing and to do the penalty as she said. She neglected him and left the home.
Lying on the air mattress, he mumbles vaguely with limited consciousness “I am a big failure as a dad. Daughter, l love you and you are my heart. No one wishes to leave their heart. I apologize for my dreadful act towards you. I thought it would help you to walk through the right path and teach you to be an exact woman. “Come and see me my dear, before I die.” He turns up both his volume and his frequency that polluted the atmosphere. The environment becomes clam and quite in a sudden when the doctor has administered a sedation to overwhelming person.
A middle-aged woman with curly blonde in a blue suit arrives at the reception and be seated on a leathery couch.
“Could you help me to find Mr. Joseph’s room” she inquired at the reception.
“Let me know who you are?” she replied.
‘Merlin Joseph’. Her answer makes everyone numbness in the reception because they are familiar with that name used by Joseph.
‘Oh well. Go right and turn at the corridor, open the door and the door way leads to room number C4’. Receptionist turn to another person offering help.
Merlin with her family pass the doorway and come in front of Joseph’s room. She has seen her father lying on the bed, holding the old photographs close to his heart. She has seated beside him for six hours to make her father awake out of sedation. He gently opens and rubs his eyes with weak wrinkled hand, whenever he realizes the presence of someone in the room. He identifies his daughter in the mid of changes that occurred to her, even the gray hair on her head.
His eyes are wet and not able to talk due to over excitement. His wishes are satisfied after 30 years of prolonged waiting period. Even though he meets with his wishes, he keeps silent and stare her for a while. His tired eyes seem to be conveying a long conversation and love that has been hidden in him for long years. He alternately gazes his daughter and grandchildren that appeared to be a warning for all those who misbehaved to their parents, the same fate might be happen in their coming days by their loved ones. When she starts to apologize for her bad behavior, she notices the closure of her father’s eyes. His soul departs from the world with great content. Meanwhile, the documents of his property that she holds on her hand, lost its grip and fall as a blank paper.
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Reviewed by Joe Dukes
6/16/2021
Allow me, the author, Chinchu has a marvelous facility with the English language together with an insight into life, perhaps life well beyond her years. Further, Chinchu commands attention with simple, yet skilfully expressed adjectives. I enjoyed reading her work as it flowed like a live video. Well done !
An interesting insight into the problems that occur when people move from their cultural center to new ones, as well as the age-old problem of the generations, especially with change becoming so rapid worldwide that older generations feel left behind.
So many families seem to wait until a deathbed before old wounds are healed.
Would be much easier to read with a thorough editing.
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I met Jerome on a busy city street in Baltimore, Maryland, when he was forty-five years old. On that particular day, I was out and about, enjoying a much-needed day off from work.
I wanted to purchase a sukiyaki sub. I parked my car in an area of
WISHES FOR WARMTH
