Friday, April 25, 2014

Charlie Mike's here!

He's been threatening all the while that he'd make it here and since it's been going on for the last so many years, I'd taken it as another desire of his which he's been constantly shelving because of the pressures at his home. Well, today he finally did make it, by about a half past 8 in the evening, after attending a wedding in the family at Kochi and he was accompanied by his family.

His two sons have grown up to strapping young men, both having overcome medical problems of a prolonged nature. His elder son, an engineer and all of 28 yrs has not been able to cosy up to a work of his liking and that aspect has taken a toll of his persona, making him unsure about life. He has, however, begun to thaw and should be doing well within a matter of time, now that the ghosts of his past have been exorcised! The younger son has been doing well and has picked up a good job in the national capital around the end of last year.

But I've seen the actual person that Charlie Mike actually is. Always full of energy, ever bubbling with enthusiasm, he used to keep the people around him in splits with his spontaneous wit and he has a wonderful timing at that! And above all, he possesses the wonderful quality of taking himself lightly. We're, incidentally, classmates in school but not that friendly as each of us moved with our own circle of friends, then. It was after joining the navy that we got to be good friends and many events were scripted by the two of us - providing mirthful laughter to our course mates - during those initial training days!

And a few years into our professional life, we'd gone our ways due to the requirements of service and a little while later we'd lost touch with each other. In his life there were a few mishaps which made him withdraw into a shell always nurturing a hope that I'd seek him in due course - as per his candid admission, later. And the biggest casualty, during that period, was his positive orientation.

Over the last few years of our reconnect, he's slowly come out of his enforced gloom and has started smiling more frequently as of old. I'd like to believe that I'd a miniscule part to play in this transformation of his. And so, his presence with family at my place was a time for catching up from where we'd left last.

In the process, we'd lost the track of time. I found that my mom was watching us intently throughout the evening. A wonderful day, indeed.


Tailpiece.

The flow of guests to 'The Quarterdeck' has been picking up steadily of late. Hope it continues so that the monotony is broken once in a while!  

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