The Reunion
“Hey mom, I’m home! Where are you mom? Mom?” Flora’s voice echoed in the house. Florence Wells, six years old, had just returned from her school. She was very excited as it was her elder sister Angie Wells’ birthday and she was to return home. But to her surprise there was dead silence in her house. ‘Sis was supposed to be back by now. And where’s mom? Have they gone out or what? But mom knows my timings. And sis too’, she wondered. She heard some noise upstairs.
***
Flora’s house was a perfect home any child could ever dream about. A beautiful two-storied house, with an enchanting lawn spread in front of it. The master bedroom of her mom and dad, Suzanne and Michael Wells, was on the ground floor. Overlooking the kitchen was the drawing-cum-dining room. Her sister Angie’s room was on the first floor, just beside her own. Her sister’s room was very spacious and warm, and she loved being in her room. It always made her feel special and close to Angie, especially after she had moved out.
This was one thing she did not understand. Why did Angie move out of the house? She loved her house, mom, dad, her, then why? No one ever told her anything about this. She asked a lot many times, but the only reply she ever got was ‘She has gone out to study.’ ‘But why can’t she study staying at her own home? Why live somewhere outside?’ ‘You will understand this when you grow up, Flora’ would be her mother’s reply. ‘Doesn’t being six years old mean you can know these things? Am I not grown up yet? How strange!’ she always wondered.
***
‘This must be a surprise. Sis loves giving me surprises. I’m sure,’ Flora thought as she headed upstairs. The noise was coming from her sis’s room. The door was shut. She pushed it open as she entered the room and as soon as she saw her mom, she knew something was wrong. Suzanne was sitting on the floor beside Angie’s bed, her hands tightly clutching the new bed sheet. “Mom what happened? Mom say what happened? Where’s sis? Mom please!”
Suzanne looked up. “Flora!” She hugged her and cried.
***
Everything was going all right. It all seemed so perfect. It was Angie’s 21st birthday. Suzanne was busy the whole day. After dropping Flora to school she picked up some flour and peanuts on her way home. Angie loved the cakes she made. ‘You are the best cook in the world mom. There’s simply no comparison to you’, she always said.
‘Everything will be the way you wanted it dear. Today we will welcome you home, me and your dad, together, together after a real long time.’ With this her thoughts drifted towards Michael.
Mike was the best man any woman could ever dream of. Everything about him seemed just perfect. His thin long chin, broad chest, twinkling blue eyes, reddish-brown hair; as if they were meant to be just there. She fell in love with him the instant she met him in an official party.
***
Suzanne’s company, Unlimited Corporation, was celebrating its silver jubilee and every renowned personality in the business world was present there. Michael Wells was one of them.
The decision of their marriage was taken very fast. Everything happened so quickly that they hardly got any time to think whether they were doing the right thing or not. The only thing that mattered to them at the time was that they were in love.
An exotic night it was, a night that bound two souls. Everything lavishly decorated, imprinting in the minds of around a thousand people a beautiful wedding.
The first one year of their marriage was wonderful. They honeymooned in Paris for about one month. They surprised each other by small gifts time-to-time. Theirs was a lovely romantic relationship. But as they started getting back to their normal routine life, problems started arising. Suzanne was in a much higher position in her company as compared to Michael’s.
She was the GM of her company and she loved her job. But this required a great deal of time to be devoted in the office, which Mike often complained of. Mike’s job was also quite well and he did not want his Suzy to work. They often argued at this point.
“I can manage us Suzy, you don’t need to work.”
“It’s not a matter of money Mike. I love working and I love my job.”
“I thought you loved me too!”
“Mike please! No emotional black-mailing. Of course I love you. But I have a career. I can’t sacrifice it. I love my job too! You are asking me to choose between my right eye and my left eye. I can’t do that of course. You both matter to me.”
“But you are not able to manage both of us simultaneously Suzy. That’s why I’m telling you this.”
“Mike I just need your support. If you are with me I can manage anything in this world. You are with me no baby!”
‘Who wouldn’t melt at this? And she says I’m black-mailing her emotionally!’ Mike agreed but very reluctantly. He would have liked her to work somewhere else so that she could take out time for him. But Suzy’s reply was always ‘This was my dream job Mike. How can you even ask me to leave it? It’s out of question.’
***
On Mike’s birthday Suzy gave him the best gift. She was pregnant. Mike was so overwhelmed at the thought. How he had waited for this moment! On the eve of New Year a beautiful baby girl was born. How proud Mike felt when he held the girl in his arms! She was a divine beauty, an angel in disguise. They named her Angie Wells.
Mike had thought that the birth of Angie would change the way Suzy looked at her career. He had never wanted her to work. And this thought always kept pestering his mind. It was not that Suzy didn’t change. But her career still meant a lot for her. She tried to manage both the fronts – home as well as office, but somehow or the other always fell short. She loved Angie and Mike more than her life. But it was really very tough being a mom, wife and a successful career woman, all three at the same time. At times she couldn’t give Angie the required time, and this made Mike very disturbed and slowly, angry.
Mike’s frustration reached its height when Suzy had to leave for Paris for her presentation and in the mean time Angie got so sick she had to be hospitalized. Suzy had to leave Paris immediately and this almost cost her job. And to add to her frustration Mike was so angry with her that he almost didn’t speak to her for full one week. He left her alone when she needed him the most.
***
Gradually, the difference between the two increased. Poor Angie could not see her parents fight so much. They were the love of her life and she was torn between the two. Whenever any fight occurred, she was in a dilemma, “Whose side should I be taking? What should I do to stop them?” Sometime later she started thinking that she was their cause of fight because their every fight surrounded her. She could not understand the reason. This started having a negative impact on her.
She started spending most of her time with friends. Suddenly her friends became her priority, and family was way beyond on the list. Growing up was the hardest lesson for her. How much ever she used to laugh in school, she used to become doubly sad when at home. Teenage was the worst period. She felt no one understood her. Her parents were too busy fighting with each other. There were no family outings, only social parties. Slowly the unwanted feeling started enveloping her. She craved for love.
The 14th birthday of Angie brought a lot of pleasant surprises. Suzanne was pregnant. Angie was the happiest person when she held Flora in her arms. She could not take her eyes off the little baby girl. She thought this beautiful angel will change everything. But she was so wrong.
So, on her 18th birthday Angie decided to move out. It broke her heart to leave Flora, but she could not take it anymore.
***
When Suzanne reached home, she saw John, her childhood friend, waiting on porch.
“Hello Stan. You came early. The party starts in the evening”, Suzanne teased.
“I am on duty Suzy”, John replied. John Stanley was the head of police department.
It was then when Suzanne realized John was dressed in his uniform. Fear gripped her. “What is wrong?” She could sense it. John’s face was so grave.
And then her world came crashing down!
The thoughts filling in at the right moment, just the right one. She did not even realize where it was leading her. Suddenly she realized she had to stop this, all of it. The old memories rushed in, as if just waiting for that slippery latch to give up.
***
Dear Mom and Dad,
When you get this letter I will be gone very far away. I just want to tell you that I really love you, both of you, and above all, my kiddo, Flora.
No mom, don’t blame yourself. Not even you dad. It’s not you mom. It’s not you dad. It’s me. It’s me I hate. For what I have become. For what I could not do. I have failed you mom. You too dad. I am a jerk, a nobody, a useless grump. I tried a lot mom, to overcome all this. But I was not able to.
I am so sorry. But I simply cannot handle any more of it.
Give my love to my baby. And do not tell her anything.
There is just one thing I ask. Mom, Dad, please do not let Flora feel unwanted or deprived of love. Now you have to love her more because I won’t be there. Please consider this my last wish.
Love both of you loads.
Goodbye Forever.
Angie.
***
‘This is entirely my fault. Just mine. My daughter, my darling, my apple of eye, gone! Angie’s gone. Just because of me. Just my fault.’ Mike cried silently. “No, it is not just your fault Mike. It’s ours. It’s because of us. It is our fault.” He looked up. It was Suzy, the woman he had loved so much once. All the love seemed to come back now. They hugged each other. It was the first time in years that they had agreed upon something and been so close. Maybe this is what Angie wanted. Maybe this is the reason she did this. So that her kiddo, her flora, could live her life happily.
The End.
