Bits of life

A-22 Words-1375

together for sometime did not know their feelings for each other until the set of events got them to realize it as in the case of uncle John and Elvira and as it was with Ryan Anderson and Cathy. Once they recognize their need for another to be constantly in company with each other, they become inseparable. A carefree life becomes besotted with love and a caring attitude for one another. Love is such a game changer in anyone’s life. The difference is just that love has the positive angle only. If it enters one’ s life it is only to deliver good. A hard boiled business could become soft and gentle when it comes to loving his mother, wife or kids.
Lost in my own line of thoughts I reached stables at the stud farm at a slower pace. I had to manage two horses at the same time along side one another. That took patience and time. By the time I reached no one among the guests had arrived. They had a plan to stay at the stables till late in the evening. Uncle John was suggesting they could have their lunch and afternoon nap at the cottage he had built nearby. The suggestion was welcomed by all. So they must be wandering around the countryside or swimming in a stream near the hills at their will. I dismounted Sandy and handed over the reins of both the horses to Jack, the head stable boy who was in charge of the horses.
Even Ashley or Jonathan and my sisters, nobody was in sight. So I decided to take the land rover and go to Emerald Farm to go and check if there were any more people searching for uncle John or his house guests.
I drove along the country road that was smooth and devoid of rush and in of the traffic we had in the city. It was uncommonly shady and cool for a summer day. I was whistling the tune of a song from my mom’s favorite movie, “Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid”. It was a beautiful song that caught my fancy even as a child “Raindrops keep fallin ’ on my head”. There were so many soulful melodies of that time with which I became familiar. I remember my dad and mom dancing to the music of Frank Sinatra’s Summer wine, Paul Anker, Englebert Humperdinck’s “Last waltz” and “please release me" and one of his beautiful love songs of all times, “quando, quando, quando...”

music used to be the bane of our lives. The moment he came in from work, my dad would switch on the music system and got me and my mom on to the floor dancing away till dinner time. I recall the Japanese made Akai spool tape player he bought when it came into the stall. It was very sensitive in rendition of any music on the tape. Those were beautiful and memorable years. Dad was the life of any party his friends invited him and us to.He was the one who used organize music and dancing. Music and dancing were in his blood too like it was with mom’s family. What is life without music, I wondered.

But on hearing the story of Miss. Barbara, a neighbor supplied the answer to the above rhetorical question. You see Miss. Barbara lived by herself in a house she bought with her earnings as a teacher of music. She taught music to the middle school students . She was living a retired life right now with no problems of any kind. The eighty year old lady and my mom were good friends. She told her sorrowful story to my mom who in turn told me. Barbara was married at the tender age of nineteen to a farmer. She hoped her career as a vocalist would shine beyond her town and district. She had full confidence in her ability as a music teacher. So she carried her notes and other necessary things for practice in her husband’s home. But in her case it was more like “Man proposes and God disposes.” On the very next morning of her coming home to her husband’ s home, which they were sharing with her mother-in-law, it was made clear to her that she no longer would practice music. They condemned her art saying that it belonged to women of low character or loose morals. Decent women indulged only in looking after the husband’s family and taking care of their children. Anyone can imagine how this rude attitude to music would affect poor Barbara. Those days divorce was neither in vogue nor women of her kind ever thought about it. They almost had no will of their own.
When Barbara confided in a neighbor about this state of affairs, she did not get any sympathy. On the other hand the neighbor told her to obey her in laws and follow tradition. But what is tradition wondered Barbara. Music was part of her religion as well. Churches had a choir of their own. Even God understood music but not the selfish and possessive persons like her husband and in law. She just started living a dismal life which was mechanical and purposeless. Then her husband died of a mysterious fever. Barbara had returned to her maternal home to make her own living. Her mother-in-law blamed her for the death of her son and said that she was a bad omen to live with and so she disowned her saying that she no longer wished Barbara to live with her.
Fortunately for her, the town school needed a music teacher and so she found a job for herself. Later when her father passed away, her mother came to live with her and thus they survived sharing the odds and living a quiet and comfortable life. This house belonged to her mother who gifted it to her only daughter. Her sincerity and honesty saw her through the complexities of life and finally she settle down to a peaceful existence. At eighty she enjoyed a healthy life and often I saw her working in her garden cheerfully singing or whistling to herself.

As I reached Emerald farm I saw a new car parked in the drive way. Then I saw uncles Rod and Jeremiah in the living room chatting together. When they saw me, they both got up and came out into the hallway. It was a surprise to see them here. They almost never come to the countryside anymore. As uncle John deposited their share of the annual revenue on their father’s property, they saw no reason why they should come to their childhood home even occasionally.
“Hey Jim! Where is everybody?” asked uncle Rod.
“They are at the stud farm uncle Rod,” I replied.
“We came to know that John has invited people from the city for the wine harvest through our lawyer,” said Jeremiah who was the quiet one of the family.
“Would you like to come with me to the stud farm, both of you?” I asked out of civility.
They both replied in the positive. So I just went in to have word with Betty who was already aware of the arrival of the two brothers.

Soon I was driving back to the stud farm with passengers in the back seat. I covered the distance in a record half an hour and reached the parking lot outside the farm house. Under the trees with a cool wind and open sky, uncle John was surrounded by his guests and Elvira by his side. Together they struck like a right couple to be hosting a party like this. They were about to start on their lunch which was spread on a long table covered in a white sheet. Dishes of delicacies were seen displayed on the table. It was served in buffet style much to the convenience of everyone. There were a number of chairs dotting the lawn. They were meant for the guests to sit if they felt like it.

When uncle John spotted his brothers his eyes brightened with pleasure.
“Hey guys, this is unexpected pleasure. What brings you to my humble abode, may I ask?”
I understand the