| General Fiction posted December 26, 2018 | Chapters: |
...25 26 -27- 28... 
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Frank and Pascue's family have a moral conflict.
A chapter in the book Chasing of the Wind.
Frank Mendez's Load.
by Niyuta
| Background Mendez family of Catholics from Goa in India have one son, Francis who shows the Homosexual tendency and is pushed into Catholic Priesthood. His journey through life after discovery of it is depicted |
By the time Frank returned to Mendez Villa, an hour had passed and the housekeeper waiting to open the door for him had left her post thinking that he must have gone somewhere, perhaps for taking morning stroll, or exploring the neighborhood. Frank rang the bell a few times but the woman was doing the laundry in the rear end of the house and did not hear it. He paused for few more minutes and tried the bell again and realized that he was indeed locked out.
He thought of banging on the door but then gave up the idea as impractical. “If they can’t hear the bell, then banging noise wouldn’t make any difference,” he concluded, then slowly stepped back, turned around and went onto the pavement. A city bus approaching caught his attention. It was a public transportation bus he recognized immediately. It was the circular travel City Transit System’s bus that went through downtown hub from where one could switch to any of the buses traversing in all directions. Frank as a longtime resident of Sau Paolo knew the city as well as its transportation systems very well. He had used it all his life after settling down in the low-rent, rundown side of the city.
He waved the operator and in few minutes was on the way to his home in Pinheiros. It was an hour and half long circuitous route that passed through his neck of the woods. The bus was practically empty and he went back of the bus and sank in one of the seats that hid him from the view of the driver.
In spite of his well-developed skills of hiding emotions, at that moment Frank’s face betrayed that tale tell affect, the stresses an emotional war between the human mind and subconscious desires produces. That perpetual struggle to take control of the events determining the future of one’s existence we face every day is indeed a frightening conflict. No matter which side wins; the loser is the owner of both; the mind and the subconscious desires—the person. Frank was worried about not one but many things that he had avoided facing throughout his life. That had been his life’s most successful strategy—the Chasing of the Wind as Bible describes in the Ecclesiastes section. It says:
“I, Qoheleth, have reigned in Jerusalem over Israel. With the help of wisdom I have been at pains to study all that is done under the heaven; oh, what a weary task God has given mankind to labor at! I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and what vanity it all is, what chasing of the wind!”
Deep in his or her heart, everyone knows it is a futile exercise of self-deceptionwhen one is drawn to something in spite of known perils the attraction can deliver and yet go ahead with the quest. Frank had realized perhaps too late in his life that when he made the choice of becoming a lowly deckhand, rather than a landed aristocrat married to a fabulous woman, it was the first step towards that chase. It took him away from the reality of material world in which the Ying-Yang events of life—some giving unending pleasures of human existence for a short period and then the unbearable pains of a lonely life for a long period. Yet the courageous one to take that chance and plunge into the uncharted waters of that possibility. Frank had walked away from the stability of life for the reasons he really never stopped to search. He just floated on the oceans of the world, living among the other chasers of wind like himself. Now at the end of his voyage the destiny finally caught up with him. That entire load of existence the humanity must carry while living on this planet, because of the first sin, one that the Genesis says Adam and Eve committed. Frank had hitherto dodged it but at this juncture, the providence had placed it in front of him while closing all the escape routes shut. The yoke of family life finally he had to shoulder and adopt the ways of living in a so called norms of the formal society; one that he had run away from in his youth. Was he willing to do that in exchange for the joy of living with sophisticated namesake son, daughter in law and his adorable grandchildren remained to be seen?
He enjoyed the time he spent with the kids he knew were not of his bloodline and the loving hospitality of his step son and daughter in law immensely and yet, he was unable to decide what he really wanted. Heading back to his own pad on the bus, he was battling with the emotional storm much worse than the one he had faced on the Atlantic and Indian oceans during his Mariner’s life.
Lost in his thoughts he did not realize that the bus had passed through his neighborhood and was at her last stretch. When it stopped at the depot; driver missed his presence on the bus and was about to lock the bus for the night. Frank got up and called him out and the surprised driver allowed him to get out. It was already noon time and he was few miles away from home. He lit a short, hand-rolled cheroot and began walking towards home.
Dr. and Mrs. Mendez home was all quite because everyone was out at work or in the school and the housekeeper was dozing off. It was about half past three, when Rosie got free to make that call to see if kids had come home on time. After several rings, the woman responded.
"Olá"!
"Procure o Sr. Frank."
"Ele não está aqui; Não voltou de manhã."
( Hello; get Mr. Frank.)
( He is not here; did not return in the morning”).
There was no point asking anymore questions so Rosie gave her instructions to make sure kids are back home safe and hung up. She wondered where he may have gone but then brushed that subject out as she had to deal with the routine paper work. By evening both husband and wife began discussing Frank’s absence when kids badgered them with questions about their grandpa’s return.
“Did you ask him what he had planned to do all by himself?” She asked her husband.
“No! That thought did not enter my mind at all.” Pascue admitted.
“Well; I can’t say he is a kind of person who would enjoy Maria’s company or for that matter enjoy any soap on the Television.” She remarked.
“Nor he would have pulled a book off the shelf or taken a nap.” Pascue added to that.
They moved on to other domestic matters and it really did not disturb the family that the old grand mariner had not returned home and supper was almost ready. When the dinner time came and everyone arrived at the table, the Menendez family became anxious about Frank’s where abouts
.
“Does he have a cell phone?” She put out a question for anyone at the table to answer.
“May be he has it but I do not seem to have noticed it in his hand.” Father replied and then retorted, “even if he does have; who has the number? I don’t. Do you have?" He addressed the last part to his children. When both shook head in negative and looked helpless; the mother spoke:
“I get a feeling he went home to get something he needed badly and may show up tomorrow; if he doesn’t by this evening. Let us eat and worry about it later.” She closed the topic and rest of the evening passed in the routine way.
By bedtime, children had forgotten the grandpa but Pascue did not. Dr. Pascue had not come up with any ideas as how to let Frank in on his wife’s secret of their births and the other issues related to the prime real estate that came from Frank’s forefathers to him.
“He has to decide what he wishes to do with it as he is the sole and last legal owner without any children to inherit it.” Pascue thought.
“Knowing his indifference to the normal way of living, I bet he does not have a will made,” the doctor concluded in his mind.
The situation was taking toll of his peace of mind. Pascue was especially worried about his two younger siblings—Emanuel and Alice. Emanuel lived in India and had been managing the estate in Goa and Alice, married to a British citizen and settled in England was quite keen on her claims on the estate. He himself did not care much about these things when he was pursuing higher education and now he had become more indifferent to ownership of that property ever since he learned about his and sibling’s illegitimate births. Besides that his wife had considerable wealth inherited from her family. Francis being an ordained minister of church was not in the picture at all. Besides that he was the only legitimate child among them because of Dukes marriage to their mother. That made Francis the only surviving hair to the title and vast interest in Europe. What a complicated twisting of their fate! But who the twister is; the Almighty God or simply the circumstances that they will not be able to discover. Then why bother with the analysis at all? Getting all the pawns on the board was the only task remained under that circumstance.
He thought of banging on the door but then gave up the idea as impractical. “If they can’t hear the bell, then banging noise wouldn’t make any difference,” he concluded, then slowly stepped back, turned around and went onto the pavement. A city bus approaching caught his attention. It was a public transportation bus he recognized immediately. It was the circular travel City Transit System’s bus that went through downtown hub from where one could switch to any of the buses traversing in all directions. Frank as a longtime resident of Sau Paolo knew the city as well as its transportation systems very well. He had used it all his life after settling down in the low-rent, rundown side of the city.
He waved the operator and in few minutes was on the way to his home in Pinheiros. It was an hour and half long circuitous route that passed through his neck of the woods. The bus was practically empty and he went back of the bus and sank in one of the seats that hid him from the view of the driver.
In spite of his well-developed skills of hiding emotions, at that moment Frank’s face betrayed that tale tell affect, the stresses an emotional war between the human mind and subconscious desires produces. That perpetual struggle to take control of the events determining the future of one’s existence we face every day is indeed a frightening conflict. No matter which side wins; the loser is the owner of both; the mind and the subconscious desires—the person. Frank was worried about not one but many things that he had avoided facing throughout his life. That had been his life’s most successful strategy—the Chasing of the Wind as Bible describes in the Ecclesiastes section. It says:
“I, Qoheleth, have reigned in Jerusalem over Israel. With the help of wisdom I have been at pains to study all that is done under the heaven; oh, what a weary task God has given mankind to labor at! I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and what vanity it all is, what chasing of the wind!”
Deep in his or her heart, everyone knows it is a futile exercise of self-deceptionwhen one is drawn to something in spite of known perils the attraction can deliver and yet go ahead with the quest. Frank had realized perhaps too late in his life that when he made the choice of becoming a lowly deckhand, rather than a landed aristocrat married to a fabulous woman, it was the first step towards that chase. It took him away from the reality of material world in which the Ying-Yang events of life—some giving unending pleasures of human existence for a short period and then the unbearable pains of a lonely life for a long period. Yet the courageous one to take that chance and plunge into the uncharted waters of that possibility. Frank had walked away from the stability of life for the reasons he really never stopped to search. He just floated on the oceans of the world, living among the other chasers of wind like himself. Now at the end of his voyage the destiny finally caught up with him. That entire load of existence the humanity must carry while living on this planet, because of the first sin, one that the Genesis says Adam and Eve committed. Frank had hitherto dodged it but at this juncture, the providence had placed it in front of him while closing all the escape routes shut. The yoke of family life finally he had to shoulder and adopt the ways of living in a so called norms of the formal society; one that he had run away from in his youth. Was he willing to do that in exchange for the joy of living with sophisticated namesake son, daughter in law and his adorable grandchildren remained to be seen?
He enjoyed the time he spent with the kids he knew were not of his bloodline and the loving hospitality of his step son and daughter in law immensely and yet, he was unable to decide what he really wanted. Heading back to his own pad on the bus, he was battling with the emotional storm much worse than the one he had faced on the Atlantic and Indian oceans during his Mariner’s life.
Lost in his thoughts he did not realize that the bus had passed through his neighborhood and was at her last stretch. When it stopped at the depot; driver missed his presence on the bus and was about to lock the bus for the night. Frank got up and called him out and the surprised driver allowed him to get out. It was already noon time and he was few miles away from home. He lit a short, hand-rolled cheroot and began walking towards home.
Dr. and Mrs. Mendez home was all quite because everyone was out at work or in the school and the housekeeper was dozing off. It was about half past three, when Rosie got free to make that call to see if kids had come home on time. After several rings, the woman responded.
"Olá"!
"Procure o Sr. Frank."
"Ele não está aqui; Não voltou de manhã."
( Hello; get Mr. Frank.)
( He is not here; did not return in the morning”).
There was no point asking anymore questions so Rosie gave her instructions to make sure kids are back home safe and hung up. She wondered where he may have gone but then brushed that subject out as she had to deal with the routine paper work. By evening both husband and wife began discussing Frank’s absence when kids badgered them with questions about their grandpa’s return.
“Did you ask him what he had planned to do all by himself?” She asked her husband.
“No! That thought did not enter my mind at all.” Pascue admitted.
“Well; I can’t say he is a kind of person who would enjoy Maria’s company or for that matter enjoy any soap on the Television.” She remarked.
“Nor he would have pulled a book off the shelf or taken a nap.” Pascue added to that.
They moved on to other domestic matters and it really did not disturb the family that the old grand mariner had not returned home and supper was almost ready. When the dinner time came and everyone arrived at the table, the Menendez family became anxious about Frank’s where abouts
.
“Does he have a cell phone?” She put out a question for anyone at the table to answer.
“May be he has it but I do not seem to have noticed it in his hand.” Father replied and then retorted, “even if he does have; who has the number? I don’t. Do you have?" He addressed the last part to his children. When both shook head in negative and looked helpless; the mother spoke:
“I get a feeling he went home to get something he needed badly and may show up tomorrow; if he doesn’t by this evening. Let us eat and worry about it later.” She closed the topic and rest of the evening passed in the routine way.
By bedtime, children had forgotten the grandpa but Pascue did not. Dr. Pascue had not come up with any ideas as how to let Frank in on his wife’s secret of their births and the other issues related to the prime real estate that came from Frank’s forefathers to him.
“He has to decide what he wishes to do with it as he is the sole and last legal owner without any children to inherit it.” Pascue thought.
“Knowing his indifference to the normal way of living, I bet he does not have a will made,” the doctor concluded in his mind.
The situation was taking toll of his peace of mind. Pascue was especially worried about his two younger siblings—Emanuel and Alice. Emanuel lived in India and had been managing the estate in Goa and Alice, married to a British citizen and settled in England was quite keen on her claims on the estate. He himself did not care much about these things when he was pursuing higher education and now he had become more indifferent to ownership of that property ever since he learned about his and sibling’s illegitimate births. Besides that his wife had considerable wealth inherited from her family. Francis being an ordained minister of church was not in the picture at all. Besides that he was the only legitimate child among them because of Dukes marriage to their mother. That made Francis the only surviving hair to the title and vast interest in Europe. What a complicated twisting of their fate! But who the twister is; the Almighty God or simply the circumstances that they will not be able to discover. Then why bother with the analysis at all? Getting all the pawns on the board was the only task remained under that circumstance.
To fully understand the story reader has to tread few chapters before this one all part of the novel, " Chasing of the Wind."
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