ANIL didn’t sleep well that night, as he lay in bed thinking of Amber, seeing the pain and regret in her eyes. So young she was to have had to endure the pangs of betrayal, her parents’ unforgiving stance for her disobedience, and being left alone to bring forth a child. She was in a weak mental and poor financial situation, and he knew she would need a strong hand to hold as she tried to piece together the broken pieces of her life.

Her grandmother was there with her, but being an old lady, all she could give was love and shelter. As his eyes closed in sleep, he wondered, “How can I help her?”
As the days went by, thoughts of how he had actually met her came to mind, and he questioned, “Did God send me there that morning knowing she would need someone’s help?”
The fear in her eyes and the silent plea were what had held him back, and now whenever he thought of her, it sent a warm feeling within him. He was not sure what that was, but somehow felt a strong need to help her in whatever way he could.
He took her one day to the health centre with the baby, then went to New Amsterdam to get Chinese food for lunch. She loved Chinese food.
And one Sunday after Church, he took her, Annalisa, and Grandma for a drive up the Corentyne to Skeldon. It was a nice day spent, and he saw a soft glow in her eyes when she smiled appreciatively, when she said “Thanks” for something, and when she smiled just because he was there with her and the baby.
His friends at the park, who had lauded him for what he had done for the girl at the time, now teased him, “Yuh paying yuh child support, bai?”
“Wha child support? Look, relax y’all self, eh,” he had responded to their joking.
Fatman came to the park one morning, and hearing the jives, laughed and said to Anil, “Ah tell yuh you woulda get in trouble.”
Anil smiled and shook his head slightly, taking the jokes in stride, and he said to himself, “I am happy I brought some comfort and security into a young mother’s life when she needed it most.”
Her parents had still not reached out to her, but a few of her old school friends started to reconnect, and through their advice, she started an online course in business management. She still needed, though, to earn her own money, but the baby was too young for her to leave and go out to work. She didn’t want to task her grandmother, so when a church member suggested she could start an online business working and earning from home, she thought it was a great idea but had no capital to invest. Anil stepped in again to assist her so she could start becoming self-sufficient.
“Your kindness warms my heart,” she had told him, a slight tremor of emotion in her voice.
“It’s ah small start,” he had told her, “And yuh can make it grow from there.”
She had inhaled deeply, tears glinting in her eyes, and instinctively she hugged him—a little hug of gratitude. At that moment, Annalisa gave a joyful squeal from her crib, and they both turned to look at her.
It had begun with two strangers and an unborn baby; now it was two young people, casually close, and an adorable baby.
Amber was doing well with her online studies, and her business started off well, also and was growing.
“Thank you, dear Lord,” she said after tallying her first earnings from orders, “For sending an angel in my life.”
It had become the norm now for Anil to visit Amber and the baby, but there were days when he was very busy with trips to the airport or special hires to different areas in the country, coming home late and tired. But he always spoke to her on the phone just to make sure she was okay.
Something beautiful was happening, slowly, bringing them closer.
In the night two weeks later, he told her he would be very busy with airport trips for family coming in for a wedding and assisting with other preparations.
“I’ll make time to see yuh though,” he assured her.
On Saturday, he stopped by, but not for too long a visit, because he had a family get-together to attend. Annalisa was overjoyed to see him, creeping towards him so fast she tumbled over. He lifted her and threw her up in the air a couple of times as she squealed in delight.
The baby’s attachment to him was growing stronger because he was the one in their lives who cared, provided support, and made the mother smile. He played with her for a little while, then after Amber had fed her and settled her down in her crib, they sat down to have dinner. He had bought special Chinese food from Lim Kang restaurant in New Amsterdam, and as they ate Amber asked him, “So when is the wedding?”
“Next weekend, so the coming week will be extremely busy fuh me.”
“I can just imagine,” she said, “With all the lavish décor of an Indian wedding and the traditional multi-day affairs.”
“Yup, is all of dat and more,” Anil stated.
A moment later, he looked at her with a glimmer of interest as something crossed his mind.
“Yuh ever wear an Indian outfit?”
“No,” she shook her head, not surprised at the question given his culture.
“I think yuh would look really pretty in one.”
She smiled and said, “Maybe.”
He left a short while later for the family get-together at No. 55 Village on the Corentyne and was greeted with hugs and handshakes. It was great meeting relatives he hadn’t seen in a long time and, of course, there were the usual questions from the older women.
“You’re not married yet?”
“No, I’m only 23,” he answered quickly.
“I can see a nice girl for you in Toronto.”
“No,” another interjected, “Indo-American girl would be better.”
Anil smiled patiently but he needed to get away from them, and thankfully was saved by an uncle.
“Ladies, leave the boy alone,” and he put his arm over Anil’s shoulder. “Come on, son, let’s have a drink.”
Anil got home at 2 a.m., and so it was every day leading up to the wedding. But on the special day, it was all worth it, with the splendid décor, elaborate ceremony and scrumptious seven-curry food.
The glamorous and elegant attendees were simply stunning to behold, but for Anil, only one person’s image now filled his mind. She had, over the weeks and months, become a closer part of his life, and he knew she felt secure and comfortable with him. But she had suffered a broken heart and desertion before, so it would take time to heal, for her to love and trust again.
So Anil stayed cool, allowing that special casual relationship to continue, for everything, he knew, had its own time when it should happen.
To be continued…

Fables