In Laws

I met Jaison because of my parents.

My parents were employed in Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. They were among the few couples working for the same organization. My father has always been a very hard working, sincere and genuine person albeit less polished, more frank and loud. My mother has always been a learner, holding an accurate vision for future, hard working albeit falling sick very often.

They had a soft corner for all young persons relocating from their native places. This meant that we regularly had some uncles as friends who were recruited in their first jobs. These young bachelors shared affection with my parents that sometimes surprised me.

As I grew from 12th grade to the final MBBS, I changed…..my attitudes towards these young men also changed. Few amused me, others were irritating….some were impressive….but I started maintaining a distance from these so called guests.

It was when I was in my Final MBBS, that Jaison joined the same organization.

My mother seemed to like him immensely. He joined our family with an ease that actually bothered me. My mother adopted him as her kid brother. And very soon he was part of there everyday lives. He was at home if she was unwell…ready with all the care a son would give. He would be there to help them out if they needed a strong hand to run errands. He would fix up some electrical problems….ask for recipes…join them in prayers…..and go for a walk together.

My father liked him instantly and befriended him. He was the young engineer. And papa was foreman. Jaison held a genuine respect for papa. He was in awe of papa’s sincerity at his work. He openly appreciated papa’s philosophy of life. With subtle suggestions he would explain some behavior of me or my brother that would have been bothering him.

When I met this gentleman for the first time, Papa said, “This is Jaison uncle!” and to him, “This is my daughter.”

Obviously I was still the little girl in Papa’s eyes. However, during that introduction we sized each other up.

I was cautious of him. He was amused of me. There was an instant attraction. And I was far from accepting him as an uncle.

That aside, Jaison only came to be more and more part of the family.

Jobi, my brother was in Bangalore. I was held up in the college with my studies and duties at the hospital. The relationship between my parents and him blossomed.

He was their friend, brother, son and confidant. He was there to take care of them when they needed to be taken to hospitals. He helped them with new systems. He walked them to the prayer meetings. He shared there hopes, aspirations, fears and dreams. He understood their childhood…coming from a similar background…better than we did. He rejoiced with them in their successes. He comprehended their disappointments at the work place.

When I and my brother were away he was like an angel sent to them.

Three years through and that was when my parents learnt that their daughter has actually fell in love with this gentleman. More than anything they were very worried. They liked him ….but knew he came from a family very different from ours. They resisted the choice……because they were unsure whether their daughter would actually be the right choice for him. They were apprehensive that with this new relation they would actually lose their relationship with him.

It took us time to convince my parents to agree for our marriage.

I could not touch the intimacy my parents shared with him. He is still their trusted confidant. They share a bond inexplicable.

When I see…I ask him sometimes….and he says…, “You haven’t seen your father working…have you? If you had seen him climbing on to those cooling towers, crawling below structures….the sincerity with which he did his work…..simply because you were doing a work……you would understand why I adore him. And your mother, she is among the very practical persons whom I have seen….who has shaped her family so beautifully. I admire her.”

“They protected you from everything that was ugly and brought you up. I have been through that ugliness so I know what great job they have done.”

My parents are his in-laws…..but they treat him as their son.