The Light House - Part 2
The Light House - Part 2
Sylvia’s visit to her mother’s town was fruitful for her in the sense that she met with her grandfather who had forgiven his daughter Padma who had already died. Above all she was adopted by him. Sylvia was too happy to have her new family. She visited all those places that were once a part of her mother’s childhood. It gave her immense satisfaction as she felt her mother’s presence. She tried to spend most of her time with her grandfather learning about Hinduism, their culture and traditions and along with attending estate work and fishing business of her grandfather. Her grandfather was quite happy to see her enthusiasm and fast learning of his culture and his business. He could see the reflection of his daughter Padma in her. Sylvia also loved him very much and took great care of him not because of his property but due to belonging with her mother. The grandfather Unnikrishnan also forgot his pain of past and enjoyed his new life with Sylvia. Sylvia wanted to know a lot more about her mother’s childhood times and started collecting her old pictures from where ever she could get for her memories. Then she started knowing things about her grandmother whom her mother Padma considered the most loving person on the earth.
One day she requested her grandfather to allow her to visit Banaras along with him. He granted her. She immediately bought two air tickets and flew to Banaras with her Grandfather. After offering tributes to her grandmother and her own mother at Ganga Ghat, she searched for that old man whom she met last time and who had guided her to reach Kovalam. But it was her bad luck as some saints informed her that he had gone to Himalayas for his meditation. Then Sylvia decided to take her grandfather to various famous temples of Banaras and took him to the bazaars. She did a lot of shopping for herself and her Indian cousins. After spending rememberable time she returned to Kovalam after four days with her grandfather.
Her grandfather blessed her for all her deeds. No one could make out that Sylvia was a foreigner by her behaviour or her ideology except her complexion and features. The whole village loved her. The news of her getting all the ancestral property in her name spread like fire in the forest. Even her own father and her step brothers and sisters started contacting her over phone. They tried to show that they care for her. Her own so-called father advised her to invest her money in Canada for her future. But she did not pay any heed to it. She was worried about her nanny who was still there and was getting old. She used to send her money for fulfilling her daily needs and was in contact with her. She hated her father as he never took care of her after his second marriage. At that time, she was only eight years old. It was her nanny who took great care of her.
On the other hand, her Indian uncles, aunts and cousins were very nice to her initially. But when they came to know that the whole property had been transferred in her name after grandfather’s death, one could see the difference in their behaviour. Though they tried to show sympathy and love towards her, but Sylvia could feel that. But at that time, she didn’t pay much interest. Time passed and it was her sixth month in Kovalam. She was very kind towards a poor Brahman family who were taking care of her estate. There were two more families whom she trusted the most who were taking care of fishing business. One day the lady of poor Brahman family came to meet Sylvia on the pretext of some work. At that time, she warned her of the danger that she would meet the danger next week. She told her that one of her Indian cousin brothers was talking to a person for hiring a goon to kill her and her grandfather so that he could become the master of that property. After informing this, she left for her home.
Sylvia became alert. She was more worried and careful about the grandfather. On seeing her worried, grandfather Unnikrishnan asked her the reason. She told him the whole story. The grandfather asked her to stay calm but be alert. In the mean time he advised her to get married with an Indian man who was the son of his most trusted friend, Ramanathan. He was also from a very rich and honest and known family. He advised her that this way she would have one more family of hers to trust upon. She agreed and within two days all the news of her marriage spread. Everyone was happy and excited to see a marriage in the village except her Indian cousin. Ramanathan was also happy to tie relation with Unnikrishnan. Sylvia’s father, stepmother, brother and sisters also arrived for marriage, but instead of attending them she had a soft corner for her nanny. She sent an air ticket for her and invited her to attend her marriage. After three days nanny also arrived. She told her nanny to keep a watch over her Indian cousin Krishnan. Within a week she got married with Ramanathan’s son Somnath. Everything went alright. Her father and his second family left for Canada after the marriage was over. But Sylvia requested the nanny to stay with her as she was growing old. Secondly, after the marriage, nanny could take care of the grandfather.
One day the goon who was hired by Krishnan came to the farm and started fighting with Krishnan for money. Both had heated argument and he opened his mouth as he was drunk. All the workers gathered there, and the goon told everyone about the plan of killing Sylvia and her grandfather for the property. The workers got angry and started shouting. Krishnan ran from there but they captured the goon and called the police. The police came and put him behind the bars. But Krishnan was absconding at that time. Later when he was caught he accepted all that the goon had said. But Sylvia intervened and requested the police to let go off him. Krishnan felt ashamed of himself and regretted. He requested Sylvia to give him a chance to become a good man again. He was granted and after that, he looked after grandfather and nanny and never misbehaved.