This evening I'd called up Charlie Mike, my buddy in school and the Academy, in return to his 'sms' giving me his new residential address. Actually, I was a few days late and began my conversation on a note of apology.
But Charlie Mike was excited and was on a talking spree. He's ecstatic about his dream house which is a spacious flat on the ninth floor of one of the three towers(each tower has twelve floors) of a new gated colony on the old Mahabalipuram road of Madras, overlooking the sea. He went on and on about the unique sunrises that he saw everyday and the relative lack of polluted air. He has the chirpy company of the birds flying in formation - as though they're military aircraft on aerobatic sorties. There's a swimming pool too which he frequents.
He's shifted into this flat just a week back and the process of settling down was still on. His wife and elder son had also come on the line and they too sounded very, very happy. I was gladdened by the pleasant tidings because they deserve it.
Charlie Mike and his family had gone through bad days. A nasty knee injury had slowed him down and the elder son's frequent epileptic seizures kept him from sticking to a job for long as he got disinterested pretty fast and preferred to stay at home most of the time. His younger son had a peculiar problem of overgrowing bones that needed trimming, every now and then, through painful surgeries. To top it all, there was ill feeling between him and his siblings - a brother and a sister whom he was fond of - on account of the inheritance of their ancestral property. In a fit of disgust, he'd given up his share and walked away! The two bedroom flat, at Anna Nagar, in which he lived in till about 10 days back was a place he didn't want his friends to drop by, fearing a negative reaction about his 'plight'. He'd, therefore, kept away from all of us without giving any of us an idea about his whereabouts or his contact numbers. But during this period of self imposed exile, he was sure that I'd trace him out some way or the other and reach him - so said his wife when I finally met him! And mind you, it was a long search despite improved communications at our disposal these days.
It was while I'd gone to Madras on work, early last year, that I'd made it a point to visit Charlie Mike at his house. He and his family were quite apologetic about the cramped space within the flat. It took all the powers of convincing on my part to tell them that, to me, it was just being with them that mattered and not the grandeur of the house that they lived in!
We've been in regular touch after that, so much so, that he'd come and spent a weekend with us during the latter part of last year.
I've always liked the Charlie Mike of yore, who was full of life and could have the others in splits by his fantastic sense of humour. And after hearing him today, I think he has regained that part of his personality for sure!
Tailpiece.
We're on the telephone for over two hours and I was on a listening mode throughout, prompting Lekha to say that I was a good listener. I could only manage a grin as reply!!
But Charlie Mike was excited and was on a talking spree. He's ecstatic about his dream house which is a spacious flat on the ninth floor of one of the three towers(each tower has twelve floors) of a new gated colony on the old Mahabalipuram road of Madras, overlooking the sea. He went on and on about the unique sunrises that he saw everyday and the relative lack of polluted air. He has the chirpy company of the birds flying in formation - as though they're military aircraft on aerobatic sorties. There's a swimming pool too which he frequents.
He's shifted into this flat just a week back and the process of settling down was still on. His wife and elder son had also come on the line and they too sounded very, very happy. I was gladdened by the pleasant tidings because they deserve it.
Charlie Mike and his family had gone through bad days. A nasty knee injury had slowed him down and the elder son's frequent epileptic seizures kept him from sticking to a job for long as he got disinterested pretty fast and preferred to stay at home most of the time. His younger son had a peculiar problem of overgrowing bones that needed trimming, every now and then, through painful surgeries. To top it all, there was ill feeling between him and his siblings - a brother and a sister whom he was fond of - on account of the inheritance of their ancestral property. In a fit of disgust, he'd given up his share and walked away! The two bedroom flat, at Anna Nagar, in which he lived in till about 10 days back was a place he didn't want his friends to drop by, fearing a negative reaction about his 'plight'. He'd, therefore, kept away from all of us without giving any of us an idea about his whereabouts or his contact numbers. But during this period of self imposed exile, he was sure that I'd trace him out some way or the other and reach him - so said his wife when I finally met him! And mind you, it was a long search despite improved communications at our disposal these days.
It was while I'd gone to Madras on work, early last year, that I'd made it a point to visit Charlie Mike at his house. He and his family were quite apologetic about the cramped space within the flat. It took all the powers of convincing on my part to tell them that, to me, it was just being with them that mattered and not the grandeur of the house that they lived in!
We've been in regular touch after that, so much so, that he'd come and spent a weekend with us during the latter part of last year.
I've always liked the Charlie Mike of yore, who was full of life and could have the others in splits by his fantastic sense of humour. And after hearing him today, I think he has regained that part of his personality for sure!
Tailpiece.
We're on the telephone for over two hours and I was on a listening mode throughout, prompting Lekha to say that I was a good listener. I could only manage a grin as reply!!
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