UMEDA'S LOVED ONES
Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon
Financial problems can lead men down paths they never anticipated. The eighty-nine-year old Umeda faced the torment of loneliness and longing for her family, when her offspring left their native village, Akil, in pursuit of better wages.
It was evening time. Umeda was sewing a quilt sitting on her cot, when her grandson, Amir, returned home from the city. He said to his parents, “It was so hot. I was barely able to sell twenty newspapers today.”
His father, Rustam replied, “It is no problem. We have enough money to buy the food we need for the night.”
His grandmother, Umeda added, “If you need money, I have some. I sold the quilt which I had made a few days before.” Amir approached her and hugged her.
“Oh nanny, my old friend, you are very handy,” said Amir.
Umeda said, “I have always been at your service!” While they were talking, her elder grandson, Wazir, entered the room. He was angry and tense.
“Is everything all right? You look worried,” observed his father.
“I am sick of this village. Whatever money I earn, I spend half of it on van fare when I go to the city and come back. Why don’t we leave this village?” Wazir asked them.
His mother Mominat said, “We are living happily here and it is our native village. We have lived here for ages. We can’t leave it.”
“If you can’t, I will leave it,” said Wazir.
Umeda had six grandsons. Wazir convinced four of them to leave the village and move to the city of Larkana. Umeda’s son Rustam had no choice but to accept what his sons wanted. So he said to them, “We all will go together and we will leave the village.”
They thought that in the city they would earn a lot and that they would also save more. Umeda’s family decided to sell the village house and buy a new house in the city. Umeda was upset. It was appalling for her to see the house, which she had built with her own money, being sold. She was not willing to sell it.
Umeda had three daughters; one of them lived in the village and the other two lived in the city. She thought if she ever wanted, she could come to the village and live at her daughter’s house. They sold the big village house and bought a small one in the city on the road which led to their village.
No comments:
Post a Comment