Srini called Anita and Rohan to tell them that he wanted a family meeting after dinner that evening. He asked Anita to bring Tarun along, if possible.
It was an early good dinner that evening at Rohan’s place. Once it was over and the twins were put to bed, Molly and Rohan joined the rest in the living room where Srini, Anita and Tarun were playing a board game, sipping some wine.
All eyes turned towards Srini as he set down his wine glass. He saw his children clasp the hands of their partners and move a little closer to them. From their expressions, it was obvious to him that there must have been some talk about his situation amongst them and no one wanted to raise the topic for fear of it perhaps hurting his feelings or not coming out right. He was now more confident about himself and felt it was right that he decided to bring it out all in the open with some plan already in mind.
For the first time ever in his life, Srini, raised his wine glass with a slight smile on his face and said aloud a toast, “Here’s to my long life!”
Instinctively, everyone else followed even before the import of the message hit them.
Srini chuckled gently, “Who would have thought! I have made it so far in this condition.”
His children and Molly teared up a bit, but smiled happily.
“Dad! We love you.”
“Dad, we are blessed, we are lucky.”
“I hope Dr. Fa was mistaken. I am sure he hopes too.”
They all came to huddle and hug Srini. Tarun sat back, keenly observing and with sympathy in his eyes.
“Kids! I don’t know exactly what the future will be like, but as Fa told me, somethings cannot be accurately predicted like a timeline. Somethings are inevitable however. I am glad for an extra bonus of time with some good health. I don’t know how long this will last, but I also need to be prepared for it to end anytime, quickly.
I know all of you want me to live long. I am sure you will understand the implications of that. I now WANT to do something for myself, by myself. I hope you will all understand me. That is the best support I can ask for.”
“Dad! We have been thinking too. You have given away your money too soon. We can manage with less and you have already given us a lot. Please allow us to support you financially. You can move in with me or rent a place of your own nearby if you want to. We want to be around and close to you,” Anita poured out her heart. All others looked to her and seemed to be offering her encouragement. It looked like she was speaking for all of them.
“I know, I know! You kids would do anything for me. I also want to be there for you. However, I want to move out to give some time for Molly’s parents to come and stay here and spend time with the twins. You have all been wonderful in not bringing it up. I appreciate your thoughts,” Srini said. He carefully avoided saying anything directly about staying with Anita. He wanted her and Tarun to have a chance to spend time together when they felt like. He decided to let his thoughts be known as an implication of the announcement he was about to make.
“I have found a job and a partner in business that I would very much like to work with. It is the ideal type of job considering my situation. I cannot be a reliable worker in my old profession as an engineer or my old business. However, fate led me to something that I really want to give a shot at. I have worn many hats in my lifetime so far and I want to try this one as well,” said Srini with a smile.
“What is it, Dad? Of course, we would like to support you in anything you want,” Rohan spoke with feeling.
Srini looked around at the eager faces.
“I want to work with my friend Ben, who sits in the park outside Dr. Fa’s office building. I want to have my own shoeshine stand,” said Srini with a smile.
For a second or two, Srini saw stunned expressions and then puzzled looks. Anita and Rohan looked at their partners first and then at each other. They were the first to regain their composures. Tarun had a controlled but bemused expression. He quickly recovered and it became a serious one as he looked around at the others. Then he too turned towards Srini.
“You mean you want to shine shoes? Like Ben?” asked Molly lovingly.
“Yes,” replied Srini, “It is an ideal kind of work for me now. It is what I can do, as long as I can do it. I can quit or leave anytime and it will not impact anyone much. I will be working with Ben, my good friend who I want to get to know a bit better. Apparently, there is enough money in it that he supports himself. I will still be around and close to all of you. It is mostly outdoors – something I always wanted to do. It does not appear stressful. Ben has agreed to train me and I will be working with him and for him. I trust him to do the right thing and he is very smart and fun to be around.”
Anita and Rohan, who knew Srini best, realised that this ability to make his own decisions and choose a path, meant a lot to him. They fully realised that some friends and family might consider it unusual and may be embarrassed or shocked. However, it was Srini and his feelings that were most important to them. So long as he was OK, safe and able to do it with their support, they were fine.
“Have you thought this through?” Molly asked.
“Yes dear!” replied Srini softly.
“Alright then Dad, but please allow us to help you get started and settled until you start making enough to support yourself well,” Anita and Rohan both seemed on the same page.
Srini relaxed as he heard this. Knowing that his children wanted to support him and were there if needed was enough for him. He knew he could ask for no more from fate and was blessed.
“I just met Ben and we agreed upon this today. I will be working out the details with him soon. I am glad to have your support. I can deal with anything or anyone else easily now,” said Srini sounding relieved. He gave them all each a hug. Tarun was quiet and seemed to be absorbing the ways of this new family that he was getting to be a part of.
For the rest of the evening, Srini tactfully steered the conversation towards Molly’s job, Tarun’s life so that everyone got to a bit more about them. He took the focus away from himself.
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