Read the first four parts in this series here:
Man proposes, God disposes (Part 1)
Man proposes, God disposes (Part 2)
Man proposes, God disposes (Part 3)
Man proposes, God disposes (Part 4)
The most interesting part of the hospitalization was that I never got to speak to the doctor about my dad's condition after the surgery. Every time I asked the attending staff in the evening about his health condition and if it was improving, the staff told me they were not supposed to reveal anything to me. When the doctors came in the morning for a visit, they had no time to talk to me on the phone. They were always busy and had a lot of patients to attend to. That also left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as we are not supposed to be in this kind of situation in India. The doctor is very much present to answer our queries and give us assurance that the patient will be okay. But here, it was all done and dusted with the surgery, leaving us with the hope that the surgery was successful and that my father will be able to walk again like before.
A new routine started for my parents. My father needed help with almost everything, and we tried our best to make him comfortable. But given his personality to always keep himself busy, being unable to do anything on his own made him sad, and he often expressed that he had become a "burden" for all of us. I knew what he meant and why he said that. I tried to assure him that it was fine and that it was just an accident that no one could have predicted. He was also sad about the fact that he waited for a long time to come to Germany, and now, when he came, this mishap happened. But it was beyond everyone's control; we had to move ahead with our chins up and hope for a good future. All his other counts, like blood pressure and diabetes, were normal. Being healthy at the age of 70 is an accomplishment. With practice, he would also start to walk again without support from anyone.
He assisted me in cleaning and declutttering (his favorite task) in the kitchen. He cleaned my son's room and made it look beautiful and well-arranged. He often did the cutting and slicing of all the veggies that we brought from the market. We took him to walk on the floor, and my German neighbor, Gila, often talked to him and asked him about his health and improvement. She even invited us all to "Kaffee und Kuchen," and I served as their translator and interpreter. We had a hearty laugh, and my parents were quite impressed by the way she lives her life, alone and with such enthusiasm and joy. She liked them too for their simplicity, and she often expressed that though they didn't speak the same language, she very much enjoyed meeting them.
My parents have a lot of friends in Mumbai. They also have very good neighbors in Dombivli and relatives there as well. They hadn't told anyone about my father's surgery until he returned home. Because they both very well knew, calls would start coming in, and people would become concerned. Once he was back home, they informed their close friends and relatives. It was unexpected for all of them, and they all kept in touch with both of them and sometimes with me to check on him. I am sure once they both went back to Dombivli, they would have visitors every day.
My friends came to see him as well, and he met everyone with a smile. I knew, at the back of his mind, he was feeling very helpless and waiting to go back to India, where he would be more free and could do much more than just sit at home here. But he had to wait for another few days, when he could go back to his hometown and back to his country. He must have felt such relief!
Finally, the day came when they had to fly back. As my husband was away on a business trip, a very good friend of mine, Mr. Harshal Deshpande, came with me to see them off at the airport. My husband had booked wheelchair service for them, and the legroom in the aircraft was also going to be good. While leaving me and saying good-bye, both my parents had tears in their eyes, and I had them too. I told my father to come back in a better season where we would have more time and a good season to go around. He just said nothing, told me to take care, and left with an attendant to do the security check.
to be continued...
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