Enduring Tephra

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Every time Ana tries to interpret and understand the appearance of the people she is visualizing, the scenery transforms into something different. Until now, most of the characters were no strangers to her, but she could not conform with the feeling that she has no dominion of the situation. Her attempt to seek contact with the people she is observing is in vain, because no one seems to acknowledge her presence. Meanwhile Ana contemplated her visions, she did not notice a shadow posterior to her. Anna’s attention focused on the same people she saw in the hospital.

 * After departing from the hospital with the newborn, Martha and Sergio aimed to gather their other four children at Mrs. Elisa Merkens-Koster, Martha’s mother. When they arrived in Santa Cruz where Elisa lived, Martha inhaled the delicious aroma of fresh bread and ‘pandushi’ from afar. Martha nodded her head and smiled because her mother knew how much she and her children loved her breads. She always reminded her mother to write down the recipe of her breads and pandushi and to add the secret touch that made the taste so delicious. Mostly, the pandushi was prepared with a substance that was so sweet and soft it just melted in the mouth. While Martha was captured in her thoughts of her mother’s breads, Sergio parked the car in front of Elisa’s house. Even though Martha felt energetic spiritual, she thought it was inept to excite herself too much. Therefore she got out of the car carefully and she serenely waved her arm to greet her mother, who was standing in the doorway of her house. The two-year old baby Esther lay in Elisa’s arms and looked phlegmatic at the car parked in front of the house. Behind her, the other children ran passed her and a little tensed Sergio tried to keep pace with them. Eight-year-old Ana was holding the hand of four-year-old Tod, and five-year-old Greg was tenacious, pushing his way through to get e glimpse of the newborn baby Harry. From a distance, Martha observed the whole scenery and thought that she was in a kindergarten. Sergio felt it compulsory to remind the kids to be careful with mother Martha and not to exhaust her. Sergio approached Elisa and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sergio noted Elisa stare and knew where her thoughts dwelled. On one side, Elisa was happy to see the family together again. On the other hand she was melancholic about it because she visualized her soon vacant house. It seemed like her thoughts were transferred to her daughter. Martha recalled the challenge after she got married and her mother felt abandoned. Although her mother’s comprehension was ratified, Martha knew it was a great change. In the household, Martha used to help with cleaning and cooking for the other brothers and sisters. Moreover, Martha was not the eldest. Before her, a brother Jacobo died and a sister Mercedes. After Mercedes, Saturnino was born. Consequently, both gracefully did all they could to assist their parents protecting and devoting their time to the other children who were born thereafter. Undoubtedly, when looking at her mom at this stage of life, she was amazed how strong she was in heart and mind. Elisa was not a skinny fragile woman. She was a woman with a full posture and not fat or osseous. She looked very healthy. She held her long thick black hair tied together with a hair pin. The grey hairs were still hiding under the black hair and had no intention to show up. At night before Elisa went to bed, she let her hair fall over her shoulder, and combed it while watching television. After everyone got a chance to glance at the newborn, Elisa invited the entire family to enter her house and have some lunch with her. Her husband Marco did not come back from work yet, so there was enough time to chat with Martha and her husband Sergio. Some breads laid in the oven, and a few more were already nicely put on the old wooden kitchen table. As usual, she also placed the cheese, butter and jam, so all kids could single out what they liked. During the lunch, Martha enlightened her mother about her hospital visit and how pleasant it was in the nursery room. And even the food was not that bad. Elisa was glad to apprehend her daughter’s joy when expressing herself about the care of the hospital personnel. Nearly all Elisa’s children were born in her own house, what was a relief for her because she avoided all the hospital administration. For her, it was also very comfortable to be in a familiar environment, mostly when waking up at night and not knowing which door will lead to the toilet. Martha inquired how the kids behaved during her absence, and Elisa had only touching words to say about them. Elisa elaborated how Ana played with the neighbor’s children, and the healthy walks in the ‘mondi’. The other kids were too little to go out, and they stayed in the house painting or watching television. Long time ago, Elisa’s house was an old ‘cunucu’ house when her husband Marco bought it. When entering the house, a large living room was to be seen. A notorious feature of this room was the difference between the old heavy sized blocks, which were used to make the walls of the ‘kunuku’ house, and the new wall structure. The old blocks were broad, and kept the cool air in the room. The house consisted of five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a room used for baking bread and a separate kitchen with an open dining room. The house had three entrances, two in the living room, and one in the kitchen. When Martha stayed a day or two at her mother, her children usually slept in only one of the rooms. She preferred not to bother her mother by using all the bedrooms. It was Ana who more often stayed the nights to accompany Elisa. Martha recalled how Elisa asked her if Ana could stay live at her house. Even though it was a difficult moment for Martha, the response was obvious. She could not just let her daughter be separated from her other brothers and sister. Besides that, it was always possible for Ana to stay some days or on weekends. Elisa was reasonable with the answer of her daughter and was satisfied with the idea that Ana will stay with her for the weekends or on other days. She was very thankful that Martha accepted the arrangement. Three hours after their visit at Elisa, the family Weman departed to their own home in San Nicolaas. However, they were not empty handed. Elisa packed a bag full of fresh hot breads with some pandushis. Elisa stood in the front yard and she felt a bit tired. She then recalled that before Martha and her husband decided to establish their home in San Nicolaas it took them eight years, two districts and three houses. It was also Sergio’s wish to be near his job at the Lago Oil and Transport Company Ltd where he worked in the Accounting department. Sergio knew his wife yearn for her family, especially her mother. Nevertheless, Elisa always recollects Sergio’s promise to Martha to drive her every weekend to her mother’s house. Hence, strangely as it may sound, he really stood up his promise. No doubt, Martha never had to complain about this issue. Elisa waved after the car until it disappeared in the clouds.