One day in my life

I’d like to share something with you first: this blog post was to go before the last one! But what happened the next day I uploaded immediately.  This blog, has indications of what was to follow next . But I didn’t know it then. So, I just went and uploaded the occurrences of the day after this one, as I was too emotional. So, here is the prologue for the last blog post as this had been scheduled earlier. I suppose, this is life, we have ‘signs’ of things to come, but don’t notice them.

As a kid, my life was regular, routine and very predictable. So, naturally I wished for a life which wasn’t. Luckily, no two days of mine are the same-  exactly how I like it. So, if I take you through a day in my life, it won’t give you any idea about how the rest of my days will go through.-  Just a glimpse. Anyhow, why should it interest you anyway?

Why not?

We all are living our own lives, and sometimes we wonder how the others are getting along with theirs?-  I’d love to know how your day goes! I’m sure its even more exciting and productive than mine. But let me give you a peep into how mine went today:

Let me go in reverse.

Right now, its 10.12 pm February 7^th, 2017. I’m sitting in my lounge. DW channel is on TV giving the news of the day mostly about the Donald Trump ban on immigration and his appeal against the judge’s verdict against  it. There is a joke going on in Facebook that Muslims today, are not so much worried about going to heaven as they are about going to the USA!

Anyhow, my new Lab puppy Magic is near my feet. I think he is asleep as he hasn’t moved for a while.

The heater is on, and the door is wide open, as Muffin our Persian cat proudly walks in, sits in the middle of the room – (he doesn’t know how to close a door nor plans to learn!)  Then he joins me in watching what’s on tv.

My Mum went to go to sleep early today. She wasn’t feeling too well today. Hope she gets better. Daddy also went to his room a while back. At 82 and 90 they are certainly in their second childhood. It is quiet here, as my daughter is at a shoot. – Just received a call that she will be late. Of course I can’t sleep till she is home safe and sound.

Whenever I say anything, she will say what if I was a doctor? What would my timings be? Right! Point taken. She is independent running her own business, minding her own business – who am I to complain?

Oh I believe Hasnain (my domestic help) forgot to offer me my daily green tea which Mum and I usually have every night. But she didn’t feel like it today. So, I guess, I got left out too. But I did have my bowl of yogurt with half a teaspoon of turmeric in it. (I’ve started taking yogurt instead of milk for calcium intake as I believe, it has more calcium in it.)

So, earlier around six pm I had a meeting with my tenants –  they were to leave in a week’s time – I also know that they didn’t want to go. One way or another, it was important for them to let me know what is going on. It was pleasant to see the house kept spic and span, and their usual tea tray full of goodies with tea for me, even though I told them I had had tea with pakoras with my parents just now.  Since they are both educationists, and I’ve been one for over a couple of decades, so our conversation was nothing but interesting.

One fine day it struck me that I can’t see the mountain from our house. My husband and I had so excitedly built this house, just to be able to see a mountain from our home. Now we can’t, due to construction all around us. So we are living in the ground floor and hardly ever go to the roof as we have to walk all the way to the back of the house.

Financially tight as usual, I used up my last few pennies to get the staircase built. Now, that its built everyone says “you get dizzy going up, aren’t you scared?” I’m not! They don’t know I used to walk on the parapet of the second floor as a teenager (till one day, our neighbor saw me doing it in the moonlight and came to tell my mum “your only child is too dangerous!” Yes, of course I got a real shout for it. I did stop after that.)  But, I don’t get scared.

Anyhow, what did I do this afternoon? I watched a play on my multimedia and relaxed. Yes, a mini cinema. Actually, I was wanting to go for condolences to my friend’s place, but found out that she had left for the States, already. Felt bad, that I couldn’t meet her. When the burial of her mother-in-law was taking place, I had to take my father to the hospital. He had a very important appointment with the Urologist to follow up on the UTI he had had in December. Of course, I drove him over. Afterwards I took him to meet Col Zahid who is married to my cousin and a very dear person. He recently lost his brother. So, that was an important visit.

What I miss most in my current life, is the picnics that my husband and I used to have on almost a weekly basis. I’d just put our next meal in the basket and tell him it will be served anywhere but at home! He would oblige. We both loved discovering new places wherever we lived. So, people would often ask us where to go.

Now, going to the wilderness is a situation with my daughters. So, God bless this gentleman named Adil whom I’ve never met.

But he has this exclusive land next to the lake. Whenever we want to go we just drive down and call him, he gets the gates opened for us. So, we spend some time out in the serene and peaceful surroundings. We did that yesterday. Wals and I. It was just great. By now, we have many memories of that place.

This afternoon the sun was out and the sky was a brilliant blue. So, Wals and I walked up our ‘spiral staircase to heaven’ and sat in the sun, with our Magic. It was just great.

The morning was busy too, well, my ‘morning’ usually starts, with a call from mum at around 2 am “Coming!” I respond and hurry over to their room. Finding my dad, with his quilt off, wanting to get up. “Daddy, want to have some water?” I know he must be thirsty. He will look at me “Bitto, yes, I want some water.” I’ll  move the lever of his bed which I recently got, to adjust the height of the head of the bed so he can sit up. “Want to have with a straw today?” I’ll ask. He nods. I put the straw in his mouth. He sips it thirstily. Once done, he says “Now, we have a lot of work to do, I have to meet that officer.”

“Yes, Daddy, of course, you have to, we will go in the morning.”

“But that will be too late, we must go now.”

“You need to get ready too, Sabir will have to bring the clothes all ironed up, so why not rest now?” I ask him to look at the clock its 2.30 am now, “Everyone is sleeping now, all offices are closed.” He will give me that far off look…. I can see he is getting sleepy.

I look at Mum, who is watching this whole scene. We wink at each other. Hoping he will calm down so we all can get some sleep.

Once I brought a letter of his sister (who became my mother in law, written in 1965) I read it out to him, and he fell asleep.)

Mum had gone to sleep too.

I tip toe out of the room.

After one hour again, I’ll get another call… “Coming!” I’ll dash off to their room. Now, he wants me to write a letter. A very important letter.

“yes, daddy.”

Next time mum calls me, I call Wals, “Janu, please go and see daddy, I’m too tired now.”

Then I hear her door opening, and she will take command of the situation.

There have been days when I have taken my father in the car and driven him round this area, asking him where he’d want to go. We end up getting his favorite halva, for the time being his troops have been left for next outing. My staff is very understanding too, they also go along with everything.

He is the most loving of fathers. I can never forget him saying “Shireen, do what your heart tells you to do!” Always, my rock of support at every twist and turn in my life. Always ready with his check book whatever he could afford. Even the car I have now, is thanks to his contributions. Same with my girl’s cars. He is so generous, he paid for my cook’s house debts also. Such a loving person and so caring. Naturally, the domestic help happily comes at all odd hours of day and night, as he has generously helped them too whenever they needed.

Now, when he ‘loses it’ some times, we all have the patience and love for him.

Yesterday, he came and sat near me and said to Mum “We have spent a long life together. If at any time, I’ve not been good to you, please forgive me.” I could see Mom’s face going pink with emotion. She said “of course not, there was no problem, you’ve always been good.”

That rattled him. He said “you could say ‘I forgive you’. “

So, we all exchange glances and see how fine he is. Suddenly, he is here and now in the moment.

Hey, Wals is here now, with my favorite flowers the narcissuses. What a beautiful end to my day!

Stay blessed my great reader. Thank you for reading such a long one. Tell me how is your day? Whatever it is, stay blessed and strong. 🙂