“Your will be done...”

“Does she know?” I asked my aunt before entering Grandma’s room today.

“No. We haven’t told her yet” she answered.

Grandma was sitting upright in her bed in a pale blue nightgown. She was her usual peaceful self and prayed to the Virgin Mary for our happiness.

She enquired, "In which class are you studying?"

I guessed that she meant to ask about my daughter and I replied accordingly.  

Grandma will be 101 next month. Apart from loss of vision, she doesn’t suffer from any illnesses.

Her eldest son, whom we fondly called Jambulya Kaka, however, passed away recently after a cardiac attack.

Nobody expected that he would die so soon. After his retirement from service, he healed people with ayurvedic medicine and did not charge any fees. We had heard reports in Muscat about Jambulya Kaka’s miraculous medicine.

At his funeral and at condolence gatherings last week, people murmured.

“So sad. His mother is still good at 101 and he had to go before her.”

“What a shame! Auntie Stella is not in her senses anymore after the brain stroke. Yet, she has survived for months.”

“Why him? Catherine Maushi is bedridden at 90. She is ready to go.”

During the prayer meeting at Jambulya Kaka’s house, a passage from the Bible was read. Then his daughter read out a brief note about the chronological milestones in her father’s life.

Lastly, we all said the Lord’s prayer.

A few words in this powerful prayer answered some questions.

“Our father, who are in heaven,...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...”

 

 

 

Another Hopeful

Last Friday, at the local bank, the lady at the counter looked up at us but not through the reading glasses resting on her nose.

We were there to withdraw some money and the lady was processing our cheque. In the meanwhile, I asked my daughter if she would like to work in a bank.

The lady said, “I had told my children to choose any profession related to food, shelter or clothing”.

“What do they do now?” I asked.

“My daughter is still in college. My son has graduated from a Hotel Management Institute” she stated proudly.

She looked at the computer screen again and checked our details through her reading glasses.

“I see that you are NRIs. In which country do you stay?” she asked.

“We are presently based in Oman” I answered.

She smiled.

“My son has got a job offer from Crowne Plaza Hotel in Muscat. He cannot make up his mind. Is it a good country?” she asked.

“Congratulations to your son!” we said.

“It is one of the best places in the Middle East. Muscat has got all the facilities of a big city and yet has the feel of a small town. The locals are respectful of the expats. It is just about 2 hours away from Mumbai” we told her.

The lady smiled again. She fished for her mobile phone in her bag and showed us a picture of her son.

He was a handsome lad with a SRK haircut and had a face full of hope and optimism.

“He will do well in life” we said.

“Do you think he should take up this job?” she asked.

“It is a nice hotel and we can see it from our house. If it is a good package, why not? Some overseas experience will be good in his field, don’t you think?” we told her.

She called her son and told him about us. Then she took our contact details.

“The only drawback is that the public transport system is still developing” I said, “it would be great if your son gets his Omani driving licence soon after he arrives.”

“Oh, the hotel will be providing transport service. Let’s hope he takes up the offer.” she said.

“Inshallah!” we replied.