The story so far:The kids were not thrilled about relocating to a small village.
Akash was walking back from the farm when he noticed the heavy rain drops. Only it was not rain drops but ice pellets. “Hail stones!” shouted the kids. Akash had seen snow before in England, but never hailstones. Ajji’s warnings to not eat the hailstones fell on deaf ears. Soon everyone young and old were squealing with delight, trying to pick up hailstones and enjoying the respite from the heat — except Akash and Dharti’s parents. They looked out of the window, and sighed, “All the saplings will be ruined.” One of the reasons they had wanted to return to their village was to raise their children closer to natural surroundings.
They had dreamt of building a small hospital and growing their own vegetables. Since their return, they had spent a lot of time on the farm — cajoling it to grow fruits and vegetables. But nature seemed to have other plans.
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The rains lashed all night long. They had planted seeds of chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers and papaya only two months ago. All the saplings had now been washed away.
While Amma and Appa stood examining the damage the next morning, Ajji patted their arms. “Let it go.”
Akash and Dharti walked around the farm. Everything looked rain-kissed and fresh. “Look here,” pointed Dharti to a little papaya sapling. “Everything is not lost. There is still a little plant here.”
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Akash went up to the sapling. “This is a tough plant. I am sure the fruit will be very sweet.”
Despite the loss, the parents smiled.
Back to square one
They decided to start over. The whole family got busy gardening. They sowed several seeds in the soft earth. Ajji regaled them with stories of how one year, they had lost the entire paddy crop to a treacherous monsoon. “Everything is needed but in the correct proportion,” she grunted.
“Nobody said life on a farm was easy,” said Amma.
“At least the kids seem happy. I’m surprised how positive Akash has become,” Appa said.
Amma sighed, taking in the sight and beauty of her ancestral home — looking at the house she grew up in always calmed her down. Leaving England was a big decision. Life was good in many ways — but it had never felt like home. But did they do the right thing coming back, she wondered.
Akash looked at his parents. His life in England and his friends were just a memory now. He still wasn’t sure if he liked living in a village. “At least Appa and Amma are smiling today,” he thought to himself.
What will tomorrow bring? More rains? — was a thought lingering on everyone’s mind.
To be continued