Thursday, July 16, 2009

Talking About Home

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Been two weeks since I have been home. I am happy to be home.

On a sadder side, Lina's mother and my uncle, we call him Mamu, passed away within these last fourteen days. Mamu is Bob's father, one of my favorite cousins. He's been sick these last few years and he passed away in the early hours of last Sunday. Lina's mother passed away a week before that. My timing could not have been better. I am glad to be able to be here. I know it meant a lot to Lina. We were not expecting for her to leave so soon. We were thinking, maybe a few more weeks, maybe a few more months but it was not to be. Both of them were buried at the same place. The same place where my father, brother, uncles, aunties, grandparents, grandaunts, granduncles are buried. Good to be visiting all of them again.

There are pleasant surprises sometimes, people have been coming to me and welcoming me back.

"You back for good ain't ya?"
"Good to see you back"

They are friends, all of them.

I look at everything positively now. I rush after work to be in time to pick Sofia up from school. That makes her day. And that in turn makes my day. When Nazzim was home last weekend, we went bowling. Both him and his sister would bug each other when it was the other's turn to bowl. And both of them would have their jig for each spare or strike. Usually the jig for a strike would be more graphic. Nazzim would mimic a mime. Mimic a mime, that's a good one. Sofia would shake, rattle and roll.

Golf is on hold. Initially it was on hold because Lina's mother was sick and she wanted to go back and see her mother every weekend. But no matter, golf is still on hold. We had the school's alumni bowling tournament three days after I came home. We were lousy but it did not matter.

I have always known that I will miss that place. I do and I always will. But it's good to be home. Life is fuller and more meaningful. For me, for me, it might not be so for someone else. For me.

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