Wanderers in Eternity – Chapter 2 (Page 3)
Any way, as the Blister Doctor ordered, the goat’s milk was fed to the baby through a wick dippe din cow ghee. A poultice made with Kalanduru (Cyperus Rotundus) tubes and Kohomba (Margosa) leaves was rubbed all over the baby’s body. Also the baby slept on a map covered with the margosa leaves. This was when the baby finally slept quietly after so many days.
After this the poison within the tiny body all faded away and Ajith was completely well again. Victor and Mallika were both relieved. Many gifts were sent to the Blister Doctor along with a thousand rupees.
Since then Ajith received special attention which the other two children did not get.
“Son, take care of your little brother,” Mallika told Lionel. “You are going to be a doctor, so, learn by taking care of your brother.”
To Suneetha, the little brother was like a doll. She helped her mother in dressing up the baby. She would place the baby on her lap on a pillow and slowly rock the baby to sleep. “Mother can you see little brother is smiling in his sleep.” She would often point out.
“He must be having beautiful dreams,” Mallika replied. “Maybe he is dreaming of the place where he lived before.”
“Where could he have been, Mother?”
“In heaven.”
“Then where was I and older brother?”
“All of you came from heaven.”
Lionel who was studying in the next room also heard this. Hearing that he came from heaven made him happy.
He remembered the gods and goddesses who were standing on clouds holding garlands in the upper parts of the temple walls. Was he himself living on a cloud like that? What was life like in heaven? He could not remember any of the heavenly foods of the heavenly robes. He could not imaging how they could have been. If younger brother came from heaven how come he had a rash all over his body? Even the thought of those blisters was revolting.
The younger brother who smiled in his sleep, Lionel could hear crying at times in his sleep as well. So, was he crying because something went wrong in heaven? Once he asked mother about this.
“Mother, if everything was so dandy in heaven, why is little brother crying in his sleep?”
Mallika thought a while before answering. “He is crying because he remembers all the comforts he left behind.”
“Did I also cry like that?”
Mallika smiled. “You cried a lot when you were little. But as soon as I fed you milk, you went to sleep.”
“Am I good, mother?”
“Yes, my golden son.”
Though mother said such sweet words Lionel felt as if he were distant from her. Most of mother’s attention and love was upon little brother. Sister also received new dresses and gifts. Father showed his love mostly towards sister. If Lionel did not eat all the food on his plate, father yelled at him. If he ran around a little too much, he was scolded by father.
“Look at the way this boy is growing up,” Father said often.
What wrong did I do, Lionel wondered.
One day, Lionel did not get permission from his mother to go on a trip organized by the school. He took his anger out on his sister by hitting her. She started to cry out loud. “This monster,” Mother said and gave a slap across Lionel’s face.
Lionel also started to cry. Father told Lionel to stop crying. Father who had not gone to work that day because of a severe cold had a rougher voice than usual. Disgusted with his father, Lionel kept on crying. At this time, father hit Lionel several times across his back.
Screaming, Lionel ran out the door. He had a burning anger towards everyone. Underneath that rage was the pain of a love, a warmth and an affection never received. He ran out of the garden to the main road. He had enough nerve or strength to do such a thing. He sat under a tree by the side of the road till his tears dried up.
A little while later, Aggie Nona came looking for him.
“Come on, little master,” she pleaded. “Lunch is ready, little master.”
“I am not hungry.”
“I fried dried fish just the way you like, little master.”
Lionel’s mouth watered on hearing this. His hunger grew. Holding on to Aggie Nona’s arm, he came back to the house.
After this Lionel was closer to Aggie Nona than to his own parents. He listened only to Aggie Nona. If they wanted anything done by Lionel, the parents had to go through Aggie Nona.
“This must be a connection from a previous life,” Mallika said to Victor.
“That’s a possibility,” Victor replied nonchalantly.
Gradually Lionel distanced himself from his sister and started showing love and affection to his little brother. When he heard that his little brother was just like him, he was happy.
When the little brother got older and started to talk, Lionel felt that he now had a playmate. Little sister and Lionel always talked to each other in an angry argumentative tone.
They were bickering all the time.
“See, Amma, brother hid my books,” Suneetha complained once.
“See, Amma, brother hid my books,” Lionel repeated in a funny voice.
“I will knock you on the head.”
“I bill clock you on de dead, I bill clock you on de dead.”