NEXT - DOOR BOY - English Story

           

                                               

                                                            Next door boy

                                                 Kuru Aravinthan 

            I heard the doorbell. As I opened the door and looked out, I saw an eight-year-old boy standing at the entrance. There was vibrancy in his face. “Nikki T-shirt”, Naikki shoes, Nikki cap, everything was Nikki. He was wearing his cap with the front side back.

            “Yes, may I help you?” I said

            “Hai! I am Christopher. We are going to be your neighbours”, he showed the house by hand. When I peeped out, I saw household goods being unloaded from a vehicle. “Hai! I am Siva.  Glad to meet you !!”

“Dad!” from my entrance itself he shouted. A person roughly 35 years of age came up. “Meet my Dad. Dad, he is Mr. Siva said” Christopher. I said “Hai” and shook hands.          “I am Mike. We are your new neighbours. So, pleased to meet you. Shall meet you later.” The way they introduced themselves, touched my heart. If you do not get good neighbours, daily, there will be problems.

As my son and Christopher were in the same class in school, they chummed up and every evening they used to play in our front garden.

Winter was approaching. To save the rose plants from the winter I was pruning them. “Hai! Siva!! How are you?” These words made my head turn back and I saw Mike, “Oh, I am fine! How are you Mike?”

“I am keeping well, Siva. Unlike in our village, we have more privacy here and we are happy”.

I thought that I had problems in my village, but to see they too seem to have problems in their village.

I wanted to ask him what the problems was, when Mike himself started the story. “Siva, was your marriage an arranged marriage?” “No Mike, it was a love marriage,” I said “Love marriage? Then your relatives would have raised objections?” “Yes, yes, always there are objections to love marriages. People in the villages are very conservative and they will not even dream of love marriages.”

“True, they will always object.” “We must explain the correct situation to them and bring them to our way of thinking. Failing, we have to fight them.

“Fight them? How?”

“First, we have to have the confidence of loading a successful married life we had that confidence. Therefore, we did not worry about their objections.

“Like you, we too had objections to our love marriage. We too fought, but failed” “Is that so? You too fought?” “Yes, the result was that I was to get out of my ancestral home. We were, however, determined that we will be together. Comparing ourselves to various monarchs who gave up their Kingdoms for their love we did not consider this as very serious.

“Truly, love must be like that. You have taken the correct decision. So, when your child was born didn’t your parents come to see their grandchild?

Suddenly I saw a change in Mike’s countenance. I felt that he was hesitating to say something. “No Siva, we have no children. That worry has always been gnawing our hearts. That is why we have adopted Christopher.

“Christopher is an adopted son?” “Yes, He is very smart. We like him a lot. We are looking after him as if he is our own.”

“Thank lord! He has blessed us. Don’t worry Mike, God will never abandon you”, I consoled him.

Despite advances in medical science, still there are unsolved problems for people.

They are still a young couple with many more years of life before them. Only time can answer their problem. Perhaps it is those who do not have who realise the full significance of not having.

It had been showing from morning and the driveway was full of snow. To remove the car from the driveway, I was shovelling the snow. My neighbours entire family was engaged in the same operation at their driveway.

“Hai Siva!” said Mike

“Hai!” I said in response.

Like Eskimos, fully covered except for the face the three of them were playing in the snow. Christopher was rolling, catching the snow balls being thrown by his parents. A happy family, I thought to myself.

            That night, there was a snowstorm and my telephone connection got disrupted. As I had to contact a friend on an urgent matter, I went to Mike’s house. Mike was the one who opened the door and I told him the purpose of my visit.

“What Siva, why are you hesitant? You are most welcome, and he showed me where the telephone was. After finishing my call, as I was trying to leave after thanking him, he insisted that I have a coffee. Unable to resist his loving invitation, I sat down.

“Come here!! See our next door neighbour Siva is here!!!”

“Jani, nice, beautiful name. Like the name, would she be beautiful. I was wondering.

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs I was excited Mike’s lower. Till the last, who stood by him, forsaking all her relatives and binding herself to Mike. How would she look? I early looked towards the stair way.

First, I saw her exposed feet with were fair and lean. Looking up I saw her wearing jeans, and a light blue flowered Naikki shirt, unbuttoned at the top.

            She came near me, bowed and said, “Hai Mr. Siva”, I am Jone! Glade to meet you!! While she shook hands hands I could observe the curly hair on her chest and ring in one ear. “What, would you like to have? Coffee or some juice?”

I do not remember what I replied but I must have replied juice, because I remember drinking juice.

I left after thanking them and pressed my door bell and my wife answered. “Dad, did you see Christopher’s Mum? Is she nice?” He asked anxiously. I went inside without answering him. “Christopher’s mother”, what reply can I give him?