Introduction

Glenn was planning his return from a decade-old eventful life being, living like a foreigner, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in the north of India.

Aodhan and Evelyn, his parents were on cloud nine, when they heard he has planned to return indefinitely. It had been more than ten years since he had seen them.

“Papa, we are planning to return on 18-07-2009”

Accompanying him was his eldest, unmarried, alienated, Sarah, who never thought, in her wildest dreams, she would return home to Kanyakumari one day. She would not believe that she can get a new lease of life, relocating to Kanyakumari.

She had earlier wished to migrate to New Zealand, but the plans were shelved by Aleena, twenty years back.

“If we move to New Zealand, I would not be able to meet my elderly mother. It is not practical with growing up daughters to grow up in an entirely different culture.”

“But what is left here, Aleena?”

“If anything happens to you, These two girls and I will be in a foreign place, not being able to return home. What will I do then?”

Aleena’s fears were seemingly so real that the plans were dropped and forgotten. Glenn and Sarah’s dream, at the age of sixteen years, was shattered. Cynthia, being ten years old at that time was unperturbed by the discussion.

Not knowing what to do with her life, She just continued her life as how it eventually. She grew up to be a self-confused lady, mentally gnawing on the final moments of the city where she grew up in her youth, to move to her birth town to be with her dear grandparents.

Cynthia, Glenn’s youngest daughter, settled in Indore, Madhya Pradesh with her husband, Ryan, and has been living a blissful marital life for more than three years. Their relationship culminated to bear a young daughter, Julia.

Cynthia was in awe of Aodhan and Evelyn, her grandparents. She had been in touch with them every fortnight, as to say in the modern term, “Keep in touch” mantra.

However, she does not wish to communicate much with and does not know the whereabouts of her father, Glenn, and her elder sister, Sarah. She had good reasons to substantiate her decisions. It has been left for God to decide.

Aodhan was arranging a grand celebration of eateries on their return. Evelyn, his beloved wife of fifty years was busy making all the necessary dwelling arrangements in the house, removing all their unused treasures of handicrafts to the attic roof. It was a cumbersome exercise for the elderly couple.

Evelyn remarked in her fragile voice, “I am unsure now, which things or furniture or whatever Glenn needs and what things he would eventually bring from Madhya Pradesh.”

Aodhan was attending to her morning venting whenever she has to set to clean the house. He was amused as usual. He loves to taunt her anytime.

Evelyn wore a lovely long frock with a belt around her waist with a bottle of water hanging on her left side, to quench her thirst on the go.

When Aodhan lifts himself up to give her a helping hand, she would always remark, “Oh, sit there, Aodhan. I need to exercise!”

She was still beautiful to him, except for her wrinkles and sagging skin clinging onto her frail-looking bones. He had wrinkled skin, much more sagging as ever, but still young at heart looking at her, remembering the first time he set his eyes on her.

“He is not a stranger or a guest, Evan! He is our blood! Our own son! Just don’t take so much stress or pressure over trivial matters.”

“Do as you please Aodhan! Thank you for reminding Glenn is our son.”

She grins at Aodhan, leaving the room, drenched in sweat.

“Get our lunch ready on the table, Evelyn. I will help you.”

She was way too famished over cleaning the entire living room, since the morning.

Aodhan knows that Evelyn is developing symptoms of forgetfulness over the years.

It was a cumbersome process for Evelyn, being seventy years. She walked to and fro, forgetting the meals she had prepared in exasperation.

Aodhan was at his very best with the cutting and cleaning of vegetables and fruits for the day. Seeing his highest energy levels, it is best not to believe that he was eighty years old. Evelyn finds it difficult to keep pace with Aodhan’s powerful memory.

“I have told you, my loving wife, please have some almonds and walnuts which I have every day. We are old and we need to keep our memory sharp. What is the use, if you save it for me and you are unable to remember properly?”

“Oh Aodhan, eat them yourself, it is so tasteless.”

“You already have a nice, strong tongue inside your month, Evelyn. You have only to fix the false teeth every morning to still eat like a young girl.”

“What about you? You have your own teeth in the front only. All the rest inside your mouth is gone and you are talking!”

Aodhan grins mischievously at Evelyn whenever she sneers. They never stop arguing and it can go successfully for hours.

Till Evelyn says,

“Keep quiet and watch some news channel, I am going to sleep.” Aodhan translates it as,
“I am not interested to argue more, I wish to have some peace instead.”

A few minutes later, her snoring could be heard, vibrating in the room. Aodhan knows that it’s time for him to switch off the television and complete a book he might have left midway. He loves reading and it has been his first love, even before he met Evelyn.

A while after reading, he got up to check for another one, getting bored with the one he had in hand. For him, it was not moving, getting monotonous and lagging in excitement. It was about a romance novel suitable for young adults. Aodhan on the other hand just finished romancing his wife for a temporary feel, she is sleeping and he is getting bored with reading the novel.

He decided to listen to a tape of melodious music by the maestro Lalgudi G Jayaraman for another thirty minutes while trying to go back to read the same book he wanted to forget reading.

Evelyn work up an hour later. She changed the bedsheet because she realized she came to rest after being drenched in sweat instead of taking bath. Aodhan was busy listening to music and reading the pending novel so decided to quietly move to the kitchen to make tea for both of them, accompanied by his favorite banana fritters.
In no time, she arrived in no time with a tray and their regular mugs of piping hot tea, mixed with boiled cow’s milk, without sugar.

Aodhan was lost in no time. He remains motionless as the words of the novel writer penetrate his mind. He learned the skill of concentration at a very young age when he was living with his parents.

Evelyn sat down opposite his direction, waiting for a response from Aodhan to ask about Glenn.

“Tea, Aodhan….”
Aodhan did not respond. He was so much engrossed in reading that Evelyn spoke much louder.

“Tea, Aodhan…”

He looked in a blanked expression and realized he was not attending to Evelyn for some time. She was looking confused.
“Oh. Evelyn, thank you. Did you rest well?”

“Yes, I did. I felt good when I woke up. I forgot to take bath before sleeping. So I took the time to change the bedsheet and then took bath and…”

“Yes, Evelyn, tell me…” he was sipping his tea and enjoying the savor of the chilled evening.

“Glenn… Sarah….when are they coming?”

“Oh… Evelyn, that would be two weeks from now. You know his nature. He had been planning to come for five long years. He said that he will tell me two days before he will take the ticket to return. This time according to his voice, it seems an indefinite return…”

“Great… I just wanted to know before I move the major things to our bedroom which we need accessible…”

“You take your time, Evelyn, but let me know when I can help you. Your strong hulk is here anytime…”

Evelyn was content. For Aodhan’s age and vibrancy, he was indeed strong and handsome for her. The man she set her eyes on, loving the honesty and simplicity in his outlook towards life. If it had not been for him, Evelyn would have just passed away in her sleep in silence decades ago….

Glenn and Sarah were relatively quiet all these years, decided to patch up with old friends and extended family members when they returned to Kanyakumari.

Till this point, Glenn never discussed the pain and agony he carried in his heart. It was after this time when they mentally settled down and the topic to reconcile with Cynthia came from his parent’s side, that Glenn opened his mind and heart of the past years, after Aleena’s death.

He was thinking that his daughters, the sister duo, Sarah and Cynthia, together would be fine should anything happen to him. His elder daughter, Sarah trusted him and put her earnings as well as his into the business. Due to the recession business had dwindled. They were made to live a nine-year hiatus of deceit, hatred, loathing, returning to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu as a vagabond, a prodigal son.

On the other side of their world, Aodhan and Evelyn were joyfully waiting to see their only son, Glenn, and his daughter, Sarah after so many years.

“Glenn, my son, welcome home!” Aodhan screamed overjoyed on seeing his son.

“Evelyn, look at our son. He has put so much weight!”

Aodhan saw Glenn as a middle-aged, overweight man who was barely recognizable, picturing the before he left and after he came to the image of his son in his mind. He was glad he was alive to see him back home.

Sarah was looking confused at her grandparents and grabbed Evelyn her grandmother, embracing her so tightly she started to sob.

Evelyn too followed Sarah in the process by sobbing, missing Sarah’s growing years, and remembering Aleena’s final days to her ground.

“Come home and rest. You need a good break. You are looking very tired.”

Aodhan sensed that Glenn wanted to say a lot, but is not ready yet.

“Yes, Papa, mum, I really miss Aleena. It has been a terrible time for me without her.”

“I know son. She was our loving daughter, more than a daughter in law.” Evelyn added, caressing Glenn’s cheeks, touching his forehead. Glenn felt better having missed his mother’s love and his father’s support all these years.

Sarah was watching from a distance and Aodhan took note, Evelyn follows his glance.

“Come my darling Sarah! Let’s go home.
We have missed you a lot!”

“Yes, Grandpa!” She looking relieved and was trying to arrange her luggage.

Evelyn hugs her darling while Sarah carries the handle of their baggage, the wheels under it creaking as they move on……while Glenn offers to carry the handle of the other baggage.

And they reached home in a hired taxi.

Aleena