- Brian Mendonça
Tears stung my eyes when I saw my son sit proudly on
the bench, in his new uniform, on the first day of his new school.
It had been a long journey. Shifting my son Dwayne
(6) from his school near Vasco to one in Panjim had been no mean achievement.
Family wisdom had derided the move, as being whimsical at best. Besides how
were we to account for an elder who we were staying with?
But putting Dwayne in a school of our choice was our
dream. It was a long shot, no doubt, but we were definitely going to give it a
try. So the first week of January saw me standing in the line for an admission
form in the wee hours of the morning. At
the interview Dwayne faltered at some of the activities, but Queenie waded in
and said he had not been taught to spell numbers one to ten in school.
The much awaited letter, terse though it was, saw
our joy break forth. Dwayne had got admission. Things were still in uncertain
though, in Vasco, with the elder fretting about how it would work out. He even
put it in writing.
As captain of the ship I had to steer an even
course. I was taken aback when I received an email from a relative anxious
about the trauma that the elder would be facing. I objected to the word ‘trauma’
because it gave scant regard to our own aspirations in life. I replied saying
that those who preach to us about how to live our lives, should offer to take
care of an elder themselves.
With the days flying past I scanned the calendar
anxiously. Nothing seemed to be happening. Then I said that on 1 June we would
be shifting. The elder was free to decide what to do.
Time stood still when one day I lobbed the question
again and the elder said that he was ready to come to my place in Porvorim.
It’s been several days now and my son loves his
school. He should, I was in the same school in Bombay and would vouch for it.
A fortnight in our new home, and we have got our
systems in place. We even fixed the transport to and fro to school from our
society gate.
Wet blankets are not limited to the monsoon alone. To
survive, I prayed to Mary Help of Christians. I also ramped up my communication
with the family circle, (rather than being silent and evasive) through calls
and WhatsApp pictures of how it was a better option to shift.
When your heart is set on a goal, the universe will
align itself to your purpose.
We are very happy in Porvorim. The elder watches the
lush foliage outside his balcony. He has a room to himself. Dwayne has a new circle of friends. I enjoy my
swim in the pool when I can. The lift makes things easier for Queenie.
In some sense, we have arrived.
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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, St. Inez, Goa on Sunday 18 June 2017. Pix of Dwayne taken by the author on 5 June 2017 - the first day at school.
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