THE FLOATING LEAF
Like the leaf that floats because
one surface caresses the water
the other the sun
One must always know
that if the child holds on
with the left hand
with the right
one must to let go ...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The floating leaf on the flowing river
He graduated magna cum laude.
The degree was the culmination of years of hard work,steady focus,dedication and struggle to find his bearings in a foreign land.The doctorate degree did not mean automatic financial freedom as jobs were not easy to come by.Immigration rules and a downturn in the economy meant the struggle had just begun.
The story began a few years ago.
The good news was that as a research scholar his fees had been waived and the Graduate Assistance and his scholarship paid him just enough to keep his head above water.He had no student loans.
By shared accommodation with some others he had adjusted his life so far.The small amount he squirreled away teaching undergraduate students was just enough to buy an used car and the down payment for the condo near the University.
He would continue his research work till he would hopefully be hired by the Automobile Industry.GM,Ford,Chrysler he had interviewed for them and now waited for the outcome.The sense of pride and joy his family felt when he was awarded the degree did ease the loneliness, he had not gone back to visit them since arriving here almost seven years back.
The heaviness of his heart was his inability to send home money to help his family conduct the marriage of his younger sister who assured him she was content working with a non profit group that helped abandoned children and women.
The message from his neighbor was terse, the potential groom wanted a car,money to pay off the farm land they had just added to the acreage.
Recollecting the weary look of his mother as she toiled
alongside his father and sister to eke out a living from their small
landholding back home,he knew what a life she would be heading to.
The other option was convincing his parents to send her to college where she was keen on doing a degree in Computer Science.Knowing her passion for Math and Science he knew she would excel in her field.
Well,he recollected the notice back at the Student Center where a group of Biochemistry students were discussing heatedly.
Snatches of conversation which made no sense at that time had him back tracking.So he could donate for research and make enough for a quick trip home.
Being a man of action,he listed the pros and cons.He would meet his family and see them,using the month long summer break.After all the whole process was ethical and confidential,no one would know that he had donated his sperm for the research being conducted to study some new clinical trials.
Soon the forms were filled,the test tubes collected,blood tests done,donation accepted,payment made and tickets booked for his flight home.
Delighted to be going back he used his small stash to buy some essential items for his family and soon winged home.
The happiness of his
family was worth it,he decided as he watched the cows being milked,the
fields watered,crops threshed..
Village life did not change ,his parents were older ,sister looked so mature and grown up.
The harvest was good and they discussed family finances.
Arguing on her behalf he stood his ground,got his parents permission to send her to the city to pursue higher studies
.She was delighted and quick to fill in the forms online as the submission date was almost due.
The air seemed light suddenly,now that the decision was taken.Then came the bombshell.
His uncle walked in with a booming voice,'So we finalize the wedding,when?'
The details were soon filled in,the Minister representing their area was ready to offer a large dowry,waive off all the loan outstanding and even offer a house if he was ready to wed his daughter.The ego and prestige of having a foreign settled son in law with a doctorate was an added feather in his cap,the minister reasoned.
On the horns of a dilemma,Visva was silent,his sisters' call saved him from voicing his thoughts.
She, a mature,loving ,understanding young woman reasoned with him,talked him into meeting the potential bride,explaining they needed to understand her thought process too.
She must be feeling hurt too, maybe they could find a way out without inviting the wrath of the local powers who held sway.
The meeting with Sri,his intended bride was poignant.
Cool,collected and confident,she was very careful to state that her views were not that of her parent who had his own reasons.Viswa was in two minds but the odds were stacked against the alliance.
They agreed it was not a good idea and she diplomatically decided to reason with her father.
Convincing him she was not ready ,she explained the injustice he was foisting on the family.
The Minister understood the thought process of his only daughter as they bonded for the first time since the seven years of his wifes' passing.He released the farmlands that had been mortgaged and waived off the initial interest on the loan the family had taken to send him abroad(the interest had built up to a few lacs).
The good news continued.
His letter of immediate appointment at Chrysler to head their 2016 model was welcome news.
Life moved on,his dedication and sincerity soon had him as Chief of the Project.
Life again played a hand as two years later, he was on the interview Board facing the girl who refused to be a pawn in her fathers ambition for political gain.
She joined as an intern and was a quick study.
Three years later they decided they understood each other and wed on their own terms.
Fate intervened again.
Work hazard due to constant exposure at the factory,had robbed his capacity to have children.
Their acceptance of this shattering truth enhanced their already deep feelings.
A few days later he opened a letter form his college wondering what the cryogenics department wanted,maybe funds for research.
The information stunned him into hopeful silence.
Two samples of the five vials he had given seven years back for a clinical study was with them and they needed permission to destroy it.
Gathering his scattered wits,he explained the whole story to Sri who agreed that an in vitro fertilization would be their only hope.
Fate smiled on the couple and nine months to the day they were overjoyed to see their healthy baby boy who smiled and gurgled ,delighting all family members,the two sets of grandparents and his lovely aunt who was now an IT professional in the US with a Post graduate degree in IT.
The Doctor who had helped with the in vitro conception was present when the baby was brought home.Meeting a single Indian girl seemed like a godsend as with the limited time for social interaction he rarely chanced to meet any.Her open,sweet nature and involvement in a field so different from his own meant they would not clash over work,they soon developed a rapport leading to a lifelong commitment.
So little Aasman grew up happily with his loving parents and grandparents ,with uncle/aunt and his infant cousin sister Anya close by.
The family always discussed how fate had dealt them all a winning hand or maybe they had won with the cards they had been dealt with.
Patience,caring and understanding won the day.
Like the leaf that floats because
one surface caresses the water
the other the sun
One must always know
that if the child holds on
with the left hand
with the right
one must to let go ...
The floating leaf on the flowing river
He graduated magna cum laude.
The degree was the culmination of years of hard work,steady focus,dedication and struggle to find his bearings in a foreign land.The doctorate degree did not mean automatic financial freedom as jobs were not easy to come by.Immigration rules and a downturn in the economy meant the struggle had just begun.
The good news was that as a research scholar his fees had been waived and the Graduate Assistance and his scholarship paid him just enough to keep his head above water.He had no student loans.
By shared accommodation with some others he had adjusted his life so far.The small amount he squirreled away teaching undergraduate students was just enough to buy an used car and the down payment for the condo near the University.
He would continue his research work till he would hopefully be hired by the Automobile Industry.GM,Ford,Chrysler he had interviewed for them and now waited for the outcome.The sense of pride and joy his family felt when he was awarded the degree did ease the loneliness, he had not gone back to visit them since arriving here almost seven years back.
The heaviness of his heart was his inability to send home money to help his family conduct the marriage of his younger sister who assured him she was content working with a non profit group that helped abandoned children and women.
The message from his neighbor was terse, the potential groom wanted a car,money to pay off the farm land they had just added to the acreage.
The other option was convincing his parents to send her to college where she was keen on doing a degree in Computer Science.Knowing her passion for Math and Science he knew she would excel in her field.
Well,he recollected the notice back at the Student Center where a group of Biochemistry students were discussing heatedly.
Snatches of conversation which made no sense at that time had him back tracking.So he could donate for research and make enough for a quick trip home.
Being a man of action,he listed the pros and cons.He would meet his family and see them,using the month long summer break.After all the whole process was ethical and confidential,no one would know that he had donated his sperm for the research being conducted to study some new clinical trials.
Soon the forms were filled,the test tubes collected,blood tests done,donation accepted,payment made and tickets booked for his flight home.
Delighted to be going back he used his small stash to buy some essential items for his family and soon winged home.
Village life did not change ,his parents were older ,sister looked so mature and grown up.
The harvest was good and they discussed family finances.
Arguing on her behalf he stood his ground,got his parents permission to send her to the city to pursue higher studies
.She was delighted and quick to fill in the forms online as the submission date was almost due.
The air seemed light suddenly,now that the decision was taken.Then came the bombshell.
His uncle walked in with a booming voice,'So we finalize the wedding,when?'
The details were soon filled in,the Minister representing their area was ready to offer a large dowry,waive off all the loan outstanding and even offer a house if he was ready to wed his daughter.The ego and prestige of having a foreign settled son in law with a doctorate was an added feather in his cap,the minister reasoned.
On the horns of a dilemma,Visva was silent,his sisters' call saved him from voicing his thoughts.
She, a mature,loving ,understanding young woman reasoned with him,talked him into meeting the potential bride,explaining they needed to understand her thought process too.
She must be feeling hurt too, maybe they could find a way out without inviting the wrath of the local powers who held sway.
The meeting with Sri,his intended bride was poignant.
Cool,collected and confident,she was very careful to state that her views were not that of her parent who had his own reasons.Viswa was in two minds but the odds were stacked against the alliance.
They agreed it was not a good idea and she diplomatically decided to reason with her father.
Convincing him she was not ready ,she explained the injustice he was foisting on the family.
The Minister understood the thought process of his only daughter as they bonded for the first time since the seven years of his wifes' passing.He released the farmlands that had been mortgaged and waived off the initial interest on the loan the family had taken to send him abroad(the interest had built up to a few lacs).
The good news continued.
His letter of immediate appointment at Chrysler to head their 2016 model was welcome news.
Life moved on,his dedication and sincerity soon had him as Chief of the Project.
Life again played a hand as two years later, he was on the interview Board facing the girl who refused to be a pawn in her fathers ambition for political gain.
She joined as an intern and was a quick study.
Three years later they decided they understood each other and wed on their own terms.
Work hazard due to constant exposure at the factory,had robbed his capacity to have children.
Their acceptance of this shattering truth enhanced their already deep feelings.
A few days later he opened a letter form his college wondering what the cryogenics department wanted,maybe funds for research.
The information stunned him into hopeful silence.
Two samples of the five vials he had given seven years back for a clinical study was with them and they needed permission to destroy it.
Gathering his scattered wits,he explained the whole story to Sri who agreed that an in vitro fertilization would be their only hope.
Fate smiled on the couple and nine months to the day they were overjoyed to see their healthy baby boy who smiled and gurgled ,delighting all family members,the two sets of grandparents and his lovely aunt who was now an IT professional in the US with a Post graduate degree in IT.
The Doctor who had helped with the in vitro conception was present when the baby was brought home.Meeting a single Indian girl seemed like a godsend as with the limited time for social interaction he rarely chanced to meet any.Her open,sweet nature and involvement in a field so different from his own meant they would not clash over work,they soon developed a rapport leading to a lifelong commitment.
So little Aasman grew up happily with his loving parents and grandparents ,with uncle/aunt and his infant cousin sister Anya close by.
The family always discussed how fate had dealt them all a winning hand or maybe they had won with the cards they had been dealt with.
Patience,caring and understanding won the day.
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