Coming home again

It was a journey down memory lane for old Mr Samy. He had come from India fifty years ago and had never gone back. He used to tell us how he had left India to work as a rubber tapper in Malaya. The girl he wanted to marry had rejected him and he could not face her anymore. He had therefore never returned to his village in Tamil Nadu. He had also never married.He lived as a bachelor all his life; earning and spending and helping others. Those of us in the block loved him for his kind heart and selflessness. But now that he was 70 years old, he wanted to go home. So when he asked us who wanted to go with him on an all-expense-paid trip to India, Seng, Hassan and I jumped at the chance.

We were careful about what we ate and drank all the way. We realised that we were in a foreign country and that our stomachs were not used to the food and drink. We arrived in the town of Puthu Kottai and took up lodgings at the best hotel we could find. It was not exactly five-star but was comfortable and the food was good. Next morning we hired a car to take us to Mr Samy’s village. The first stop was the temple where we prayed. Mr Samy made a large donation. Then we took him to where his house still stood.

The simple village people were so kind that we felt ashamed that we were not like them. They were eager to share whatever they had; though they did not really have much. Mr Samy was all smiles and visited them all in their homes. He was sad when he heard that his old flame had passed away. Everything went well through out the whole week. Then Mr Samy called us to him.”If I die, please cremate me here.” He said. “You are in good health and will live to be a hundred,” we assured him. He shook his head sadly and smiled and we did not think much of it at the time. We certainly did not take it as a premonition.

The next day we took the early morning train. We were bound for the hill temple of Palani, two hundred kilometres away. As the train chugged along I looked out of the window to watch the fascinating scenery.Suddenly Seng screamed. I turned to see Mr Samy clutching his chest. I rushed forward to attend to him while Hassan pulled the emergency cord to stop the train.The railway staff were very helpful and made immediate preparations to send him to hospital. They called an ambulance and we rushed to a hospital about fifty kilometres away. Mr Samy lay still. The attendant said that he was in a coma. We could do nothing except hope and pray.

At the hospital, Mr Samy was seen by the doctor immediately. “You are too late. He is gone,” said the doctor sadly. We burst into tears and cried. When we had calmed down, we called his relatives at the village.They came within two hours. We decided to cremate Mr Samy at his village, as he had requested. Though we were sad, we were comforted at the thought that Mr. Samy had died where he had been born. It was as if he had come home after fifty years in order to die there. As he had no son, I lighted his funeral pyre.With heavy hearts, we returned home to Singapore the next day.

Word count: 592

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