A Meal 3 Brothers Shared

Sometimes we go all over looking for inspiration. At other times, inspiration comes looking for us. It was time that I didn’t let it go unnoticed or disregarded again. So, I am telling you this story. A story of the day three brothers met.

Living can be defined in various ways. For some, life is just a series of breaths, for others it is the moments that take their breath away and for a few, it is every breath that counts. Horatio woke up from his dream with a start. It was the same one that had been haunting him for more than two years now; that of his mother taking him to the country-side. He didn’t remember why she dragged him there or for how long they stayed. All he knew was that he was a few years old, and at the time felt sad. He wished she had asked him before distancing him from his father. He resented that moment in his childhood not as much as he longed for closure till this day.

The loud beeping of the alarm sounded the start of a new dawn. There were the utensils that needed to be cleaned and plants to be watered. How he loved looking after his home. But first, he had to pray. The ‘Word of God’ as he called it, had to start his day. It was an alarm of a different kind - one that woke him up from within. He walked out of his bed, his thoughts lingering on from that dream. Incidentally it was his mother’s birthday the day before. He couldn’t gather himself to wish her, not after all these years of separation. All that he audibly accused her of, all that he secretly loved her for, seemed too complicated to examine now. It was easier to overlook these feelings and her birthday altogether.

He thanked the Lord for the renewed person he was becoming; the journey that he was on and the learning that made him understand life through the eyes of Christ. Not a single day went by without the thought of his brothers Luke and Fabien, his sister Fluorine who he wished he could remember more fondly and yes, his mother. Being separated from them was his decision and he was trapped like a fly in a spider’s web with it. The lying, the cheating, the betrayal and the toxic abuses had spun a dark web in his sub-conscience. He suffered with those thoughts; seeking release sometimes by spitting foul words and other times by reliving those memories behind the closed doors of his mind in the hope of understanding them better. She was getting old, his mother. Dying, probably. He didn’t know.  He didn’t have the courage to find out. It was too complex and yet so obvious. All that was needed was for him to take that step. If only the Lord could show him how.

Horatio sighed as he lifted his heavy heart and decided that this day was going to be good! As he watched the sun-rays piercing their way through the hallway, little did he realize that those beams meant to literally brighten up his day. After a morning walk with his beautiful wife of 32 years, he opened the newspaper, especially to check the latest update on the Railway budget. The phone rang. “It’s Luke”, said his wife Patricia in her typical style of subtle agitation. “Luke?” he whispered, his eyes anxious, his ears eager.

He took the receiver from her hand with a cacophony of voices in his head. He was so over-whelmed, he did not know what to think, what to do. ‘Is she dead?’ he thought. His mother - the woman who had given him birth; the vessel that once over-flowed with the pride of wealth as much as with concern for him; the woman who never failed to upset his wife; the monster who gave herself a medal on every fight that she caused within the family; that person 
whom he never understood, but cared for dearly only because his heart was made of gold. He listened to Luke intently and obliged. He agreed to go. He was no more startled by his decision than his wife was as she let him go.

The same sun that shone on Horatio was smiling on Luke that morning as he woke up to clean his mother’s sores. She had grown too weak to speak. He clandestinely hoped that she was grateful. He put a call through to Fabien, his voice hitting a higher volume than usual. He was enthusiastic that he had spoken to his elder brother just five minutes ago. Fabien listened keenly and smiled. He was on his way over from the bank to meet Luke and mother. They were hopeful to be united with Horatio. Fingers crossed, they waited.

Two hours had passed. The antsy brothers looked out of the window and peeped through the door randomly. There was no sign of him. They wondered if they had longed for this day in vain. A side-ward glimpse at his watch, Fabien unwrapped the parcel of food he had carried with him.
It was almost lunch time. Luke looked heavenward as he always did. His mother’s eyes moved from the door not for a moment. She had waited too long for this day. Just then, they heard a loud clearing of throat coming from the direction of the staircase. Unmistakably it was him, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Horatio had arrived. He was gladdened by the respectful reception he got from his brothers. They wished and hugged. He looked around, his eyes finally settling on a tiny body; a wrecked life boat that once was capable of surviving many a storm. His world came to a stand-still. His eyes brimmed with tears as hers brimmed with melancholy. She looked wonderingly at him, her eyes being her sole communicator. He knelt down beside her and placed a scapular round her neck. The brothers took some pictures of that sweet reunion. 
Horatio joined his brothers who sat on the couch nearby. They had much to catch up on. They talked about dear ones they had lost in the past two years, shared stories of their families, and lost no time in giving each other latest updates on trivia. Not once did any of them speak of Fluorine. It was as if the poison of her virtual presence would corrupt the beauty of that day.

All that talk built up their hunger. Luke had prepared a simple meal; it turned out to be a rather special one. Fabien’s side-dish was warmly welcomed. As they sat to thank the Lord, in their hearts, they gave thanks for much more than food. For in that meal that was shared by three brothers, God had fulfilled a dream, a dream that was shared by three brothers."