Romantic Eden
However, dad, a police inspector, was a workaholic who had eyes only for his career. And he convinced mum that marriage should have no surprises. In the early years of their marriage, he chose to ignore anniversaries and birthdays, never held her hands, under-estimated her brain power, and was possessive and critical and “house-policed” her.
Through it all, my mother kept the peace and remained patient while trying earnestly to understand the hard side of her taskmaster husband. If at all she felt unmotivated and ready to leap out of the marriage, she would think of various events or moments that changed her perspective of him.
Among the many which she chose to speak candidly about was the time a young Chinese gentleman came a-calling unexpectedly one hot afternoon.
By then, dad had considered himself a retired soul, and would spend many hours in his huge “Garden of Eden”. He took pride in livening up the place by using recycled items like empty tins and pieces of salvaged scrap metal.
