The Homecoming..

Suresh was living the life of his dream. He had a five-bedroom beach house in Malibu, California. He lived with his wife Myra, and their two handsome sons. Myra was manager in a very reputed bank. He was employed with one of the tech giants. As a senior solution architect his reputation and salary were some of the things he was proud of. On occasional get-together with his friends on Fridays he would drop not-so-subtle hints about his success stories. His organization allowed him to work remotely from his home as they found his expertise always gave them a competitive edge. He was an asset for the company.

When he opened his balcony and salty moist air caressed his silver hair, he basked in his own glory. He was proud of his achievements. He came to the States thirty years ago with nothing more than a suitcase and dreams. He was ambitious and he always dared to dream big. He stayed in shared apartment with his seven other friends. But his dedication to work, his ambition and his innovative thought process got him ahead. He wasn’t shy to bend a few rules to get things done. Once the deliveries were successful, nobody questioned his process. This process fast paced him up the corporate ladder.

His friends wanted visa extension, green card, but he did not settle for petty little things. He wanted citizenship and fast. He charmed his way into Myra’s heart and voila! he was an American. Now he celebrates 4th of July more than some of the Americans. He has grand barbeque with his family and friends in his backyard. He ends the day with fireworks from the beach.

Back in India his mother had already departed for a better place. His father is ailing and stays with his younger brother. These days he does not call home many a times. They always ask for money. Either it is for his father’s medicine or admission fees for his niece. Is he responsible for everything back home? His brother not doing that well is not his fault. After all he repaid every cent of the loan which his father had to take for his education. He always reminded them that he earns in dollars, but he also has to spend in dollars. The higher education fees in the States is exorbitant. Yet like shameless people they keep on asking. He has, thus, reduced the calls and asked them to email important news. His corporate expertise taught him that it is easier to ignore emails than say no on a call.

He strolled out of his bedroom and poured himself a cup of black coffee. He sipped his morning coffee from his deck as he enjoyed the sunrise over the Pacific. Thanksgiving was almost there, and the ocean breeze was nipping cold. He browsed through the news and then went through his emails. When he saw an email from his brother asking to come to India as his father’s days seemed numbered, his day was bitterly crashed. He discussed with Myra, who said that it was more than seven years since he has been to his homeland. They agreed he will alone go on a quick visit. No point for everybody to rush to India based on an email.

The entire thirty something hours of his flight he kept on working. When he finally landed in Kerala, his heart sank. He said to himself “It’s a matter of five days. You can do it Suresh!”. His brother came with a flower bouquet to welcome him. He muttered to himself, “What a fool! Who comes with a flower bouquet! Am I a celebrity? Nonsense.” He knew he had to put up with more such nonsense over the next few days. When he reached his old home, people were a bit too excited to see him. He was greeted in traditional Indian way. More nonsense. The people were thinking if he got gifts for all of them from America. He was jet lagged and wanted a quick shut-eye, yet not too much that he has to be awake like an owl at night.

When he woke up after a couple of hours it was time for tea. Great! More family nonsense. It was very gloomy outside and seemed like it would rain. There was no broadband at home to keep him there. He decided to take a walk in the village. The weather suddenly grew overcast – a thunderstorm was imminent. But he didn’t turn towards home. It started drizzling. He should have got an umbrella. He stood under the shade of a paan-shop. It started to pour down. Damn! He feared that he would catch a cold or some other Indian disease. His return to the States should not be delayed. There was a lot of work left. The paan-wala said, “Now that you are stuck here for some time why don’t you have a paan.” He declined nicely trying not to seem rude. Did he even wash his hands before making that paan. Disgusting. The paan-wala again insisted. This shop was almost in the middle of nowhere.

Suresh could not have moved to anywhere else without getting himself drenched. The paan-wala continued, “It’s okay if you do not want a paan. But let me tell you a story.” He continued, “I was a not always like this. I was topper of my class. Me and my friend Suresh were the closest buddies”. Now he had the attention of Suresh. “I helped him a lot. But he stole my presentation of an idea. He talked to our college principal who got him a scholarship at Harvard. He left without even telling me. I did not handle that very well. I took to drinking. My father could not see me like this. He had a heart attack.” Suresh could not take anymore of it. His muscles were frozen. He tried to say something. But not a word came out of his mouth. Paan-wala continued, “Finally it was too much for me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I committed suicide.” Suresh blacked out.

When he came back to his senses, he started running towards home. It was awfully bright. Seems like the thunderstorm has cleared. He was not even sure for how long he was out. His feet didn’t seem to touch the ground. When he reached home, he was literally panting. But there was not a drop of sweat on him. Oh crap! Lots of people had gathered in front of his house. They were wailing over a dead body. One guy from the crowd murmured under their breath, “Poor guy. Must have had a heart attack”. “Stroke, for sure”, another added his expert opinion. It must have been his father. He felt sad at his father’s demise but worse that he may not go back to his work on time. He pushed ahead through the crowd and finally got a glimpse. People were crying over his dead body.