Splintered Lives

by Carol Holden

  “Oh my God it’s Mark.” She exclaims. “I was so sorry to hear of the loss of Sarah and her family, in that awful car crash in France.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mark asks with confusion. “Sarah, David and Anne were not in any car accident. It was only Simon who had gone to France, to ski with one of his friends.”

  Sahida looks at Mark with astonishment.

  “But we were told that Simon’s family had all perished in the fire of the burnt out car.

  My father was told that when we were contacted by the French Hospital. Simon had a photograph of my father and him in his pocket, when he was found almost dead by the roadside. The French police had not connected Simon with the other family and the only information they could find was the photograph that Taz had taken, of Simon and my father, on his last night here in Kathmandu.

  My father went to pick up Simon but Simon did not know him. He had, and still has, lost his memory. My mother nursed him back to health and taught him the local language in order for him to live here in Nepal. He is so like Taj, our brother, who died in a plane crash, as you remember, and when Simon was here before we helped him with Ben, his friend. That is the reason he had a photograph of him and my father, Taz took it when we had a farewell party for the boys.”

  “How did he come to be with you before, when he was here with his friends trekking? I met them on the day of their return to England and neither he nor Ben said anything about being with you.” Mark says with a worried frown on his face.

  “You know that Ben was hurt on the mountain. How did they explain how they had managed with Ben on crutches?” Sahida asks Mark.

  “They said a doctor at the hospital had given them accommodation until it was time to go home and that the doctor’s family had been wonderfully kind to them,” he replies wondering why Simon had not told him the family’s name.

  “We have grieved for Simon and Sarah and the whole family has been devastated since the funeral when they thought they were burying Simon. The only reason I have come to look for him is because Sarah met a boy from this school who was working as a steward on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and he mentioned a doctor called Simon attending to his sick father. At first he told Sarah he thought it was Taj and then you explained that it was your nephew, Simon.” Mark continues, feeling sad at the thought of Simon losing his memory.

  “Why would you think that Simon had perished in the crash? Sahida asks, and why were we told that his whole family had died? The French hospital contacted my father because of the telephone number on the back of the photograph and there was no other information they had, only the loss of the boy’s whole family.”

  “The family who took Simon skiing must have been the ones who perished in the crash. Jack’s grandparents informed my relatives of the fatal accident and Sarah, David and Anne as well as my grandparents and David’s dad went to the funeral. I was working in Alaska at the time but I got home soon afterwards to find the whole family devastated.” Mark replies, as the circumstances of the accident became clear to him He wonders why Simon had not been open with him about the Menons, when he saw him and his friends, off from the airport in Kathmandu.

  “How is Simon?” Mark asks as the information is pieced together between Sahida and himself.

  He’s wonderful, he is married to another doctor called Mula and they are awaiting the birth of their first baby. He has still no idea of his other family but he seems to have settled down, they both work here in the new hospital in Pokhara.” Sahida tells him.

  Mark feels overloaded by the information given to him by Sahida and he wants to collect his thoughts before he finds Simon. He makes arrangements to meet Sahida, after she has finished work, and she promises to take him to see Simon and Mula. He wanders back to the lodge where he has a lunch and sits thinking of Simon. Simon had not been told of the Menons and he had accepted David as his father from being a small boy. Sarah had given him a good stable upbringing but she had never told him anything about his birth father. He had lived a half a life and now he was living the other half. How must he have felt when he met the Menons, and how must they have felt about him? They had lost their only son who looks so like Simon. It must have been a shock to see him, as well as a joy; for Simon not only looks like Taj he has his gentle calming ways. How will he react to me? Will he eventually recover his memory and remember his family in England?

  Chapter 42

  Sarah is anxiously waiting for word from Mark but she knows the journey is a long one and then he has to find out where Simon is living. She also begins to feel guilty about her reticence to tell Simon about his other family. The Menons were good people and they made her a part of their family at the time she was working in Pokhara. Sahida was a good friend to her and she knew of the love Taj and Sarah had for each other. She had held on to Simon because he was a part of Taj as she had mourned his loss so relentlessly, but when David came along and Simon loved him as he would any father, she didn’t want to spoil the relationship between the three of them. Simon was partly Hindu and she had starved him of that culture. What if he didn’t want his Western life any longer and she may have lost him forever?

  Mark had wanted her to tell Simon about his father a long time ago, but she was selfish, and she didn’t want to confuse him after he had accepted David happily as his dad. Why hadn’t the Menons sent word of Simon being there? Why had Sahida told Raj that Simon was her nephew? She must have known he was Taj’s son. He looks so like Taj I know. Her head is reeling with confusion and she goes to lie on Simon’s old bed. She eventually sleeps and is awoken by the ringing of the telephone. David is out in the garden so Sarah gets up to answer it.

  Anne rings her mother to say she is going in to labour so Sarah shakes herself out of her guilty sleep and David takes her to Anne’s house, where little Dan is whisked off by his grandfather, whilst Sarah rings the hospital where Dan is working that day in his clinic. He has a room full of patients so Sarah assures him that she will stay with Anne until she is ready to go to the maternity home. Anne is ready very quickly and Sarah takes her.

  “Don’t panic, you’ll be fine.” Sarah reassures her. “We’ll be there in no time.”

  “Oh mum my pains are coming much quicker, please hurry up.” Anne whispers as she tries to blow out her breaths.

  After a frightening journey, Sarah gets Anne to the maternity ward and she is taken straight to the birthing room, Sarah is outside pacing the floor like a new dad.

  Sarah rings Dan on her mobile to say Anne is in labour and he assures her that he will be there immediately. She then rings David who promises to keep little Dan amused until he hears from her again with the news of the birth.

  Anne is trying to be brave by following the instructions of her midwife. She pushes and breathes on command. She eventually produces a lovely little girl who has her father’s eyes and a rosebud mouth like her mother. Sarah is the first to see the baby, as Dan has not yet arrived. Anne is brought to the maternity ward and the baby is put in to her arms. Dan arrives with a bouquet of white roses and a proud look in his eyes.

  “Darling, how are you?” When he sees the baby his eyes dim and he goes to the bedside to hug his wife and the new baby.

  Sarah leaves the ward with another loving look at her daughter and her granddaughter and rings David to tell him the news. David says that he will bring the little boy to meet his sister. David arrives with his grandson and he leaves him with his mum and dad and his new baby sister. David and Sarah sit outside the ward and hold hands as they are so grateful that Anne and the baby are fine and their daughter needs to be with her own family to concentrate on the bonding of little Dan and his new sister. They peep through the ward door and decide that they will leave them for a little while to go to the café for a cup of tea. When they return to the ward Dan has his son on his knee and the baby’s little hand is gripping her brother’s finger and little Dan is grinning with happiness as he looks across at his sister.

  David taps quie
tly on the door and says. “We’ll leave you to have some time to yourselves, are you going back to work Dan?”

  “No, I’m having some time off. The practice has arranged for a locum and I’ll be home to help Anne with both of our children until she feels stronger.” Dan replies.

  “That’s great, but if you need anything you know where we are so don’t hesitate to ask.” David says with a wink for Anne and a proud smile for all of them. Sarah waves as they leave the ward and they go home together, proud grandparents again. Charlie is waiting for them to tell him the news and he grins when he hears he has become the great grandfather of a little girl.

  When Charlie has gone, Sarah tells David the thoughts she has been having about Simon, whether she should have told him about Taj when he was old enough to understand. The guilty feelings she is now having are about his other grandparents. They were as devastated as she was at the death of their son and she had kept the birth of Simon a secret from them. Now they know of him, are they keeping him there with them? How did it happen that they found him and why does he not contact us, if he is alive?”

  “We will get to know the answers to your questions when we hear from Mark.” David reassures her. “I’m sure there will be a logical explanation. He would not mean to hurt us. He has always been a thoughtful loving son to both of us.

  Come on, let’s walk around the lake, it will make us feel better about Simon and we can give thanks for the little girl born today.”

  “I’ll just get my boots because the ground looks a bit muddy.” Sarah replies.

  The walk refreshes them as they notice the lovely features of the landscape and the wildlife. They arrive back home tired but happier, the walks are feeling longer now that they are older, but they are still healthy and young at heart. Charlie who has had a manual job is still very fit and he can keep up with the younger members of his family.

  “I’m going to ring Mark.” Sarah tells David when they get home. “The walk has given me the resolve to try to get some answers. Mark is the only one who can give them to us.”

  She rings Mark’s mobile but she can’t make a connection.

  “It will be difficult to get a signal in the mountains.” David tells her. “He will have to get to a land phone before he can contact us. I know because when I was working in remote areas when I was a civil engineer I had difficulty ringing home. I had to wait until I was in a decent hotel with a landline before I could get in touch with my parents or friends.”

  “So we will have to wait until Mark contacts us, is that what you are saying?” Sarah says in an impatient tone of voice.

  “Yes love, that’s what I’m saying.” David knows how hard it has been for Sarah, losing Simon and thinking he was dead, then to hear that he may not be dead but be living in another part of the world. He feels the same but he needs to keep

  a positive attitude, so that Sarah feels his support.

  Anne is home from hospital and her parents can’t wait to visit the young family. They take Charlie and he is so thrilled with the newcomer that nobody can get a look in as he cradles the tiny baby in his arms.

  “It’s like when your parents brought you home Anne, I fell in love with you then and I have done the same again. What are you going to call her?

  Well granddad we have decided to call her Amy, Mary after her two great- grandmothers.” Anne tells them with a smile at Charlie.

  They are all thrilled with their decision and Charlie gives Anne a warm hug.

  Dan is pleased that Anne has honoured her grandmothers and picks up his namesake so that the little boy does not feel out of it. The visit is enjoyable and Sarah feels much better for it. David drives them home and Charlie is so enthusiastic about the names given to the baby, they can’t shut him up.

  Chapter 43

  Sahida

  Mark meets Sahida when she has finished her work at the school. She has now changed her scooter for a four- wheel vehicle and she offers him a lift to Pokhara, where she lives in a new apartment by the lake.

  I’ll make you a meal and by then Simon will be home from work. Mula is on maternity leave because she is very pregnant, but I don’t want to impose on her at home without Simon being there.” Sahida says.

  “Great, I’ll love that, I remember the food you and Sarah prepared for our party so I know you can cook.” Mark says with a grin.

  “I can’t promise anything special but I have the ingredients for a curry.” She replies hoping that her cooking will please him.

  They drive down the mountain and along the side of the lake to an apartment block that looks new. They leave the vehicle and Sahida unlocks a ground floor apartment. She invites him in and he is impressed by the style of the building and the comfort of the furniture. She shows him around when she notes his curiosity and opens the back door where she has made a small garden on her terrace. The back of the apartment looks over the lake and the front over a forest. There is a garden table and chairs as well as a built-in barbeque oven set out on a patio by the back door. The sun is warm and she intends to serve their meal out on her garden terrace. She settles Mark down at the patio table and brings two glasses and a bottle of wine. She pours him a glass and then goes inside to start the evening meal. Mark follows her carrying his glass of wine and says he will help her prepare the curry. Sahida accepts his help and company as she gives him onions and vegetables to prepare. She brings some chicken from out of the fridge she has prepared in strips for the wok. With a good tablespoon of olive oil she heats up the pan and fries the chicken the garlic and spices go in then the onions and peppers. She stirs them frequently whilst Mark chops other vegetables for the salad. The yogurt is added last and the aroma of the curry wafts around them.

  The table is ready, set with the cloth and the cutlery; the curry is left on a very low light until they have eaten their large crisp popadoms and the various dips Sahida has prepared.

  They sit at the table and Mark says as he raises his glass. “Cheers Sahida, I’m so pleased to be here with you, thank you for this feast of a meal.”

  “Cheers Mark, I’m glad you found me and here’s to resolving our problem.” Sahida replies, lifting her glass.

  When they have eaten their meal and finished the bottle of wine they relax in the evening sunshine and reminisce. Mark looks at Sahida and wonders if she has someone in her life. She was a lovely girl when he first knew her and at that time he thought she was so much older than him but now he sees a lovely woman who is not that much older than him. He tries to work out her age. Sarah was an adult student when she became a teacher but Sahida had only just left college and it was her first year of teaching, he reckons she may be three years his senior but she certainly doesn’t look it.

  Their eyes meet across the table and they both feel a connection. Sahida feels shy, she has had boy friends but nobody has been the one. Mark feels bold and flirts with her saying. “May I see you again even after we see Simon so that I can repay the compliment with dinner at the Fishtail Lodge restaurant? I have not felt like this for a long time, I feel the years between have melted away. I was eighteen when we first met and I’m forty-four now and I didn’t think we would ever meet again.”

  Sahida smiles and changes the subject. “We should be going to see Simon and Mula, he will be home from work by now and they should have eaten their meal, so come on.”

  They leave the apartment and get into the car, the road is a bit rough as they turn towards the forest and take the road through it to the other side where they find a small but lovely house surrounded by a garden. There is a short drive to the front door. The sound of the car brings Simon out of the house and he beams a smile when he sees Sahida. He looks again and sees a man is with her.

  Mark is astonished to see how Simon has grown in the image of Taj and although he has a smile of greeting for him, Mark can see that he is not recognized.

  Sahida introduces Mark as an old friend and a nephew of Simon’s mother.

  Simon looks confused but he then
turns as Mula joins them and they all go into the house. Mark can see that Mula adores Simon but he notices she looks disturbed as she hears the conversation. Mark shakes Simon’s hand and feels the connection they always had but Simon’s eyes show none and Mark feels hurt.

  He then turns to Mula and his good humour returns as he takes her hand and with a twinkle in his eyes he kisses her fingers. Simon looks a little annoyed. Mark takes Simon into his arms and gives him a hug. He can’t have this distance between them, as he again encounters only Simon’s natural friendliness but no recognition. He feels frustrated but he tries to hide it. Sahida steps in, asking Mula, about her health and the coming confinement. Simon suggests they go out to the garden and let the women have a chat. He wants to know what’s happening; he needs to question this stranger who seems to know him.

  Simon I’m your cousin. Do you not remember me? Asks Mark with a questioning frown on his face. “I met you here in Nepal six or seven years ago and I saw you and your friends off at the airport in Kathmandu when you were about to go to Bristol University to train as a doctor. Do you remember?”

  Simon looks uncertain but he does not want to hurt this man who is standing by him in the garden and he smiles and takes Mark’s hand to shake it. Mark wants to give Simon a hug but he feels frustrated because he knows there is no recognition on Simon’s face.

  “How is the work out here for a doctor?” Asks Mark trying to have a conversation with his cousin. He wants to break the ice and get some knowledge of Simon’s life.

  He is disappointed with the “reunion” and feels he has to have something to tell Sarah, and soon. He promised to let her know as soon as possible how things are here but at the moment he has nothing concrete to tell her.